


Paranormal.

by TaelsOfShinee



Category: EXO (Band), SHINee
Genre: Angst, Drama, F/M, Ghosts, M/M, Romance, Vampires, Werewolves
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-03-03
Updated: 2021-01-19
Packaged: 2021-02-28 00:47:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 84,328
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22994920
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TaelsOfShinee/pseuds/TaelsOfShinee
Summary: When two vampires leave the protection of their clan, they are met with many trials and tribulations on their quest to being more human.They quickly find out that trying to keep their secret from the rest of the world becomes more of a task when love, jealousy, friendships, and betrayal gets in the way.
Relationships: Choi Minho/Lee Jinki | Onew, Kim Jonghyun/Kim Kibum | Key, Kim Jongin | Kai/Lee Taemin
Comments: 6
Kudos: 20





	1. Rogue.

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! This is a fic I'm currently working on in AFF, but I decided to post here as well. I hope you all enjoy!

Monsters. 

We all know the term. For most of us, we were told that monsters, such as the boogie man, are just fictional beings that only come out at night. They’re nothing more than stories passed down between generations, typically just to pass the time by. Some of these fictional characters have even become personified in movies or plays. Either way, the one thing these monsters all have in common is that they're fictional. Right? 

Wrong. 

Monsters are everywhere and can take many forms. The most prominent form is what we see everyday. We walk by them on the street, go to school with them, work with them, etc. These monsters are something greater than the fictional Freddie Crooger or Lockness monster. These monsters have the power of camouflage. These are the very monsters that only come out to play at night. 

Vampires. 

They've been around for centuries, adapting to human life more as their species continues to exist. From not being able to handle sunlight, to being able to walk in the daylight for hours at a time before needing to return indoors, these creatures of the night have adapted well-beyond their former selves. And that's just one of many ways that vampires have been able to blend into society right under our noses. 

Though much has changed, the hierarchy of vampire society has remained the same. There are clans that command vampire society much like an organized mafia, as well as rogue vampires who decide that they'd rather be solo than follow the strict rules of being with a clan. 

That was true for Jinki and Jonghyun, two vampires who had been living in the shadows for hundreds of years. The majority of those years were spent with the most powerful clan ever to exist, The Order. Along with being the most powerful, it’s also the most prestigious clan around and its members are deemed elite. Once a vampire has made it in, very few decide to leave. 

Except, that's exactly what Jinki and Jonghyun did. 

Leaving The Order was a scary thing to think about at first. There were so many tales of men and women getting killed on site for even mentioning leaving the clan. The vampires who dreamed of going rogue usually thought of their escape years in advance. It was just recently that under new leadership of The Order, clan members who wished to leave could do so freely. However, they were warned of the many consequences of leaving. 

Leaving meant no more protection. 

The Order’s one of the largest underground vampire clans in South Korea. Being associated with them means that you’re well taken care of physically, financially, etc. If anyone ever threatens an Order's member, that person would be dealt with quickly. Order members are like walking gods because they know the power their clan holds is massive. 

Leaving meant no steady supply of blood. 

Because The Order has so many connections, there’s always a constant supply of fresh blood available to its members. Whether it comes from blood slaves that are kept in the basement of the clan's large estate, or the weirdly willing blood donors from the civilian world who give up their normal lives to associate themselves with vampires, or the many undercover vampires who work normal jobs in the civilian world, like cops or doctors, to lure certain humans back to The Order. There’s always a large supply of blood. If anyone leaves The Order, they also leave the security of being fed. 

It’s been about a year since Jinki and Jonghyun left the clan. Though they seem to be doing well for themselves, the truth of the matter was things had not been easy. In that short amount of time, they both struggled to reinvent themselves. They were on the run, running out of money, and needed to find a stable job and home quickly because the vampire world could be cruel and unforgiving to rogue vampires. They were lucky enough that Jinki had a job as a doctor when he was turned and lived with The Order. He was able to transfer to a new hospital hours away from the very city The Order runs. 

Now a year later, they’re finally moving into a place they can call home. 

"Ahh," Jinki sighed in satisfaction as he set down a box in the empty living room. "That's the last of it. We're officially moved in, Jonghyun."

Jonghyun grinned as he looked around the room. "Took long enough. I still can't believe it. After months of looking for a place that didn't require a background check or a credit check, we finally lucked up on this place."

"With a good deal too."

Jonghyun nodded. "I wonder why the owner was so adamant to get rid of this place. It doesn't look to be in bad shape."

Jinki walked over to Jonghyun giving him a light pat on the shoulder. "I've learned not to ask questions when good things happen, my friend."

"True."

"Anyway, the landlord's coming by in a few minutes, so you can ask him all the questions you want. In the meantime, we should start unpacking," Jinki finished before he walked over to a box, taking out some books to place on a bookshelf. 

Jonghyun watched on in amusement. "Stop doing that."

Jinki paused and looked up. "Doing what?"

"Moving so slow. We're vampires, remember? We could probably decorate this whole house in seconds at top speed."

Jinki rolled his eyes before sighing. "I know that, but remember. We're starting a new life by leaving the vampire life behind."

"Yes, I know that, but that doesn't mean we can't act like vampires, Jinki. It's what we are. That's why we planned to get this house in the first place. It's our safe haven. The only place where we can be — normal. Isn't that why we left the clan in the first place? To try to be more human?"

"It is, but-"

"We agreed to leave the clan life behind, but we can't change the fact that we're vampires. Besides, I'm too fucking lazy to unpack all these boxes as if I'm a human. Why spend hours on something that could only take seconds?"

Jinki smirked to himself. "Always looking for a short cut." 

"Hey, I just like living an easy life."

"I know. Is that why I'm the only one with a job?" Jinki snickered. 

"Hey, I'm working on it! Not many of us are fortunate enough to have been a doctor when we were turned."

"I know, I know. I'm just joking. I don't mind being the breadwinner. Just know you'll need to pull your weight."

"I've been pulling my weight this whole time. Fuck off."

"Woah, woah. Why so grumpy, pal? When's the last time you fed?"

"Two days ago."

"I remember asking you yesterday if you wanted to hunt with me. Why didn't you come if it had been so long since you'd fed?"

"Because I'm sick of drinking animal blood. It's disgusting. There's no sweet nectar taste to it."

"Well of course it's not going to taste like a human, Jonghyun. But it’s a better alternative. It's the only way we can ensure no one gets hurt."

"Besides Bambi."

Jinki sighed. "Look, I start working at the hospital tomorrow which means we can start surviving from blood bags again. It may not be like drinking from a human, but it's the next best thing aside from drinking from Bambi."

"I guess you're right."

"I'm always right."

Jonghyun scoffed. "Whatever. I just know that it's a new lifestyle I have no choice but to get used to. I'd rather drink out of blood bags any day than go back to that damn clan."

"At least we can both agree on that." There was a knock on the door. "That must be the landlord."

"I'll get the door," Jonghyun said as he left the room. He returned with the landlord, Mr. Lee. 

Jinki tensed as he got a strong whiff of the scent of Mr. Lee's blood. He glanced at Jonghyun and noticed the distance between the two. Jinki had always had a better control over his blood craving than Jonghyun, and with Jonghyun being on edge from not feeding, Jonghyun's need and craving for blood was intensified. Jinki could only hope that being away from the clan would help Jonghyun be able to handle himself because right now, he looked as if he's going to vomit. 

"I need to get some fresh air," he said as he walked outside, leaving Mr. Lee and Jinki in the living room. 

Mr. Lee looked over at Jinki. "Is he ok?"

Jinki brushed off his concern with a warm smile. "Oh, he'll be fine. He's had a cold for a few days, but it's not anything serious." That was the only lie Jinki could think of off the top of his head. 

Mr. Lee nodded. "Oh, ok. I just came over to make sure everything’s going well for you two."

"Yes, sir. Everything's great. We just moved in the last of our stuff. By the way, we can't thank you enough for agreeing to let us live here. I know it must've been a hard decision to make considering we hadn't provided you with much of a background." Mr. Lee gave a smile that Jinki could tell was forced. He slowly asked, "Is there any particular reason why?"

There’s a moment of silence before Mr. Lee gave a solemn sigh. "To be honest, before you two came along, it had been nearly impossible for me to sell this house. Even when I did have tenants, they never stayed long."

That didn't make sense to Jinki. A beautiful two-story house in the middle of the suburbs was not able to find any buyers? 

"If you don't mind me asking, was there anything that happened in this house? Something that maybe is the reason why so many people have steered clear of it? Please be honest with me." Jinki really didn’t want to use his power of persuasion to get the man to tell the truth. 

There was a pause. Mr. Lee took a seat on the couch and put his head in his hands. He let out a shaky breathe before apologizing. "I'm sorry, but I haven't been completely honest with you and your friend about this house."

Jinki furrowed his brows. "What do you mean?"

"I lived in this house for 25 years. It was six months ago that something tragic happened. Something tragic that caused me and my family to move out. I couldn't bear to live here any longer after it."

Jinki slowly approached Mr. Lee who was sobbing at this point. "What happened?"

Mr. Lee sniffed before continuing. "I lived here with my wife and two sons. Just six months ago, my son, Taemin — he died in this very house on those stairs," he said as he pointed to the staircase behind him. 

"What-"

"I'm so sorry," he rushed. "I'm so sorry for not telling you upfront, but I thought you would have declined the offer to move in. This house is just a painful reminder of the day my life came crashing down. You've got to understand-"

"I do."

“Really?”

Granted that the story was bizarre, Jinki understood completely. Who would want to buy a house after realizing a boy had died in it just half a year prior? Not many people, but it didn't matter to Jinki. He was used to death and was just glad to finally have a home aside from sleeping in tents in the woods or occasionally staying in shabby motels. He and Jonghyun had lucked up on this house, and if someone had died in it, so be it. 

Mr. Lee continues, "I just couldn't hold on to this house any longer. Every time I look at it, every time I set foot in it, I get a sinking feeling in my stomach. As if he's here. As if he's watching me. Everything about this place reminds me of my baby boy. I mean, he was 20 when he died, but he was the youngest. He was still my baby. I just-" he broke down before he could finish. 

Jinki rubbed his arm in comfort. "I'm sorry for your loss, Mr. Lee. Trust me when I say it's ok. You have no idea how appreciative I am that you allowed me and Jonghyun to stay here. Don't worry about it. We’ll take good care of this place."

He didn't respond. All he could do was cry as he thought of how much he missed Taemin. 

—

Jonghyun walked a couple of houses down until he could no longer smell Mr. Lee's scent. Although he could faintly smell the scent of blood from his neighbors, it was less intoxicating than being in the same room as the main source of his cravings. 

He let in a deep breathe as he took in the warm summer weather. The breeze today was helping Jonghyun cope with the harsh rays of the sun today. Though he didn't dissipate in the sun like his ancestors, being in the sun for too long often made him feel tired and irritated, and seeing as he's already irritated from hunger, it would be best for him not to stay out too long. 

What frustrated him the most was that he felt misunderstood. Yeah, he's irritated from blood, but that's not the only thing. He hadn't had sex since he left the clan. It's not like he was an addict or something, but drinking live really got his rocks off. Almost every human he's drank from ended up being fucked as he drank from them. Men, women, didn't matter to him. 

It was honestly a normal thing for many vampires. That's another reason why Jonghyun's always admired Jinki. The guy had so much poise and control over himself, even when they were with the clan. Jonghyun didn't get it. Even when there were people throwing themselves at him, Jinki would just politely decline, unless he was really hungry. In that case, he'd drink until he was full enough to function. The complete opposite of Jonghyun. 

There were often times where Jinki found Jonghyun lying in the middle of a room laughing hysterically to himself because he was so blood drunk that he couldn't do anything else. 

But what Jonghyun admired the most was that Jinki didn't judge him. He was very wise, granted he had about a hundred more years over Jonghyun, but Jonghyun believes that's just how Jinki is. Kind-hearted, patient, and just an all-around good guy. As for Jonghyun, he had a few skeletons in his closet that he'd rather not speak about. 

He made a u-turn to return back to his new home. On his walk back, Jonghyun couldn't help but think about how far he and Jinki had come. The two had met in the clan about a hundred years ago, around the time Jonghyun was first turned. Jinki was the first person he connected with upon arrival. He was different. He wasn't like the majority of vampires who blindly followed the Order. He was a smart man that kept to himself and had his own opinions. 

Jonghyun respected that. 

Jinki helped Jonghyun the most when it came to adapting to life as a vampire. It was especially tough for him because he missed his family. His sister, his mom, his dog. He never stopped missing them, even now. But things like that didn't go over well in the clan. If they for any reason thought you were weak, you were either thrown out or executed. 

However, unlike the other clan members, Jinki let Jonghyun talk to him about his family. Jinki listened to Jonghyun as he went on and on about how much he loved and missed them. Jinki never once reported him to anyone and he was great at keeping secrets. Jinki will always be like a brother to him. 

Before reaching the house, Jonghyun's senses heightened as he sensed someone walking behind him. He whipped his head around, scaring the young woman who jumped out of her skin at his gaze. 

She chuckled, "Woo! You scared me."

He looked at her with a straight face before answering, "I should be saying the same thing. Why are you following me?" He didn't mean to sound rude, but ever since leaving the clan, he didn't trust anyone he ran into. 

The stranger quickly apologized. "I'm so sorry. I wasn't trying to stalk you or anything, but I noticed you've just moved into the neighborhood and I wanted to introduce myself. I'm Taeyeon."

Jonghyun waited before responding, using his judgement to see if she was lying. However, she didn't pose a threat to him. He smiled politely, "I'm Jonghyun. Nice to meet you."

There was an awkward pause before Taeyeon said, "I was wondering... have you experienced the city yet?"

"No, I've been too busy moving into the house to explore the town."

"Um," she shyly looked down before looking back up to Jonghyun. "I was wondering if you maybe wanted to do something tonight? There's a new bar in town that I haven't checked out yet. You should come."

This was a bad idea. A very bad idea. 

Jonghyun knew that. Him being alone with multiple humans in a cluttered bar was like asking for a massacre. He and Jinki promised each other that they wouldn't hurt anymore innocent people. Jonghyun's proud of himself for being able to keep that promise for the past year. 

"I don't think I can commit tonight. I have to help my roommate finish packing."

"Oh come on," she giggled. "It'll be fun. I just want to get to know my new neighbor. I've always found drinking together with strangers to be the fastest way to making a friend."

Jonghyun sighed internally. He didn't have much of a will. And the fact that Taeyeon's not only pushy, but extremely attractive was making it hard for him to say no. 

"But my roommate-"

"Look, it's not often that I ask guys out. So how about this," she reached into her bag and pulled out a piece of paper before writing on it, "Here's my number. If you're up for drinks anytime, just let me know." 

Jonghyun nodded as he stared at the paper in his hand. He was just relieved to have gotten out of that situation. Taeyeon's scent was starting to mix with his clothes and it was driving him crazy. 

"I'll see you later, Jonghyun. And if you're curious," she looked behind her and pointed to a house down the street, "I live right in that house." 

This lady was unbelievable. Jonghyun was used to people throwing themselves at him, but not like this. He wondered if she really liked him, or if her pushiness was just part of her personality. 

"Duly noted," he said as he turned around to walk back home, putting the paper with the phone number in his pocket. 

Upon arrival, Mr. Lee was just leaving. Jonghyun noticed how red the man's eyes were. He also picked up on the solemn atmosphere between Mr. Lee and Jinki. 

"Take care," Jinki said to Mr. Lee 

Jonghyun watched as the man quickly got in his car and drove off. He walked up the steps to ask Jinki, “What’s up with him?”

He sighed. “Oh nothing. Just a broken man. We’ve seen plenty of them in our lifetime.”

Jonghyun scrunched his brows in confusion. “Huh?”

“Nothing. Come on, let’s finish unpacking-“

“Wait.” Jonghyun abruptly interrupted Jinki’s sentence. “Did you hear that?”

They both stilled as they heard what sounded like sniffling from inside the house. Jonghyun asked, “Is someone in the house?”

Jinki shrugged. “Not that I know of.” 

The two vampires slowly made their way back into the house, slowly rounding the corner into the living room. There they saw something they couldn’t explain. Standing by the window was what appeared to be a boy crying as he looked outside through the blinds. 

Jinki and Jonghyun looked to each other in even more confusion as they continued to watch the black-haired stranger stand there in silence with more tears streaming down his face. 

Fed up with waiting, Jonghyn announced their presence by saying, “Excuse me?”

The boy quickly jumped and turned to look at the two vampires before wiping away his tears. He surprised them both when he scoffed and sarcastically said, "Oh how nice. There's a gay couple living here this time. Dad surely knows how to choose his tenants." 

"Couple?" 

Upon hearing Jonghyun’s response, the stranger paused and asked in surprise, "Wait, you can see me?" 

Jonghyun answered, "Well, no shit. What the hell are you doing in our house?!" 

However, the stranger wasn't paying attention to anything Jonghyun was saying. He abruptly let out a squeal of excitement as he jumped up and down, causing Jonghyun and Jinki to wonder what exactly was going on. 

Jonghyun groaned. "Great, Jink. We’ve got a homeless druggy living in our house." 

The stranger continued squealing and talking to himself in excitement. "I can't believe this! Ah, I can't believe this! Six months and someone can finally see me!" 

Jonghyun exclaimed in disbelief, "Jinki why are you just standing there?! Let's get this squatter out-" 

"Jonghyun, he's not a homeless druggy or squatter." 

Everything was starting to click for Jinki. This stranger looked very similar to the boy Mr. Lee told him about earlier. This stranger also thought that they couldn’t see him. He even mentioned that it had been six months since someone finally noticed him. By this point, Jinki was well-aware of who he was. He’d had far too many experiences, and lived far too long to miss this. 

"What do you mean? The guy’s insane. It's obvious-" 

"He's a ghost."

The only thing that could be heard was the continued squealing. Jonghyun stood there staring at this stranger with a puzzled expression. He’d been on this earth for nearly two hundred years, but he’d never had any run-ins with ghosts. To be honest, he thought Jinki was screwing with him. 

“I can’t believe this!” The stranger exclaimed before abruptly disappearing right before their eyes. At this point, Jonghyun was beginning to think this dude was either a ghost or a really good magician. The boy soon reappeared, giggling before saying, “Sorry. I’m still new to this. Hi! I’m Taemin.”


	2. Apparition.

Death. 

It's bound to happen to us all. For some of us, we'll welcome death like an old friend, ready to leave this world behind and go beyond. For others, their time will come too soon. So soon that their spirit becomes stuck, not knowing where to go or what to do next. 

That happened to be the story of Lee Taemin. 

Taemin was the youngest son in his family. He had a big brother he looked up to, and parents that adored him. He was ending sophomore year of college before kicking the bucket. That's all he knew of his former life. The sad thing was, he could barely remember anything. He didn't even know how he died. 

The last thing Taemin remembered before dying was getting up to use the restroom. After that, he remembered waking up at the bottom of the staircase. He felt cold and weightless, as if a feather could outweigh him. He remembered rising up as if waking up from a long slumber only to realize that the rest of his body hadn't moved with him. He looked at his hands which looked solid to him. However, when he looked down behind him, he thought he'd been dreaming, or rather been placed into a realistic nightmare.   
He looked down at his own face, eyes closed, purple lips, and a chest the wasn't rising and falling with oxygen. He noticed the pool of blood that was forming behind his head onto the floor. 

The first thing Taemin thought of was that he was high. He'd experimented with drugs in the past and knew a bad reaction to weed when he saw one. However, this feeling was completely off. He tried not to freak himself out and continued to believe he was high or was dreaming. 

That was until moments later he heard a loud shriek and saw his parents and brother running downstairs. They seemed to be in a panic and looked straight where Taemin was on the floor. His mom was crying hysterically while his dad and brother looked to be in disbelief. 

Taemin chuckled, "I'm ok, guys. Really."

But they hadn't heard him. His dad turned to his brother. "Taesun, what the hell happened?!"

"I don't know, dad! I found him like this and ran to tell you!"

"Guys," Taemin shouted, or so he believed. He couldn't understand why his family weren't listening to him. "I'm here! Stop being so dramatic."

Reality didn't hit him until the ambulance showed up and he watched as his body laid there unresponsive. 

Reality slapped him in the face when he saw the EMT check his pulse only to drop his face solemnly before turning to tell his parents he was dead. 

Reality definitely kicked him in the nuts when he saw his body, with his own eyes, being placed into a body bag. There was still an inkling of hope that it was all a dream. It had to be. He had finals next week. He would be a junior next semester, putting him closer to graduating college. This must be a nightmare formed from stress. 

Except, the dream never ended. It spiraled more into a never-ending nightmare, especially when his family moved out. 

It didn't officially hit him that he was dead until he was alone in an empty house. 

There had been many attempts to sell the house. Whenever others tried to live there, Taemin made it his will to get them out. He didn't want anyone else living there besides his very own family. Seeing other people come in and basically erase the history that his family engrained into that home was insulting. So he maybe sort of freaks out the tenants on purpose. So be it. 

Now six months later, he was what most people feared to become in the after life — a ghost. 

Not only was he a ghost stuck in this world, he was a ghost stuck in his own home. No matter how hard he tried to venture out passed the front door, he couldn't do it. It was as if some force field was keeping him in. 

He’d always thought, "If I'm stuck in this world, the least I can do is float on and venture across it. Sounds fun."

However, he would come to find that he would become forever doomed to the house he once called a home. 

Taemin didn't mind though. He liked being alone, slowly remembering what he could from his old life. His loving parents, his cool brother, his college friends. They were the main people he missed dearly. He’d admit it does get lonely at times. Having a ghost friend or some psychic communicating with him would definitely be more exciting than hearing the settling noises of the house all day. However, he was content, to say the least. 

That was until Jonghyun and Jinki arrived. 

Taemin had observed the two vampires from afar for weeks before they discovered him. At first, he thought they were just the average potential tenants his dad always tried to sell to. Upon laying his eyes on them, he thought “This will be easy. A tall nice guy and some short dude with a temper. They’ll be out of here in no time.” So he thought. 

He was disappointed that it was taking so long for the two males to decide to leave. His record on scaring someone out the house was one week, and he was quite proud of that, thank you very much. 

However, Jonghyun and Jinki were different. It’s like nothing scared them. Taemin grew frustrated that his normal tactics of slamming doors, flickering lights, and breaking appliances weren’t working on these two. It’s like they were used to always living in high-stress situations. But Taemin wasn’t giving up. 

He planned on doing a specific strategy where he whispers into a person’s ear. That was until he snuck up behind Jonghyun and Jinki one night who were sitting on the couch they’d just moved into the living room. 

“Here you go, Jonghyun. Drink up. It’s the last bit we have before I start working at the hospital.” Taemin was quite confused seeing Jinki hand Jonghyun a blood bag. 

Jonghyun groaned as he took it. “This shit again. Why can’t it taste as good as the original?”

“It is the original.”

“Yeah, but it doesn’t taste as good as drinking live from a human. You know this.”

“Yes, I know this. But I have more restraint than you and I’ve gotten used to it. I mean, you drink live from animals.”

“It’s not as good,” Jonghyun said as he got up to warm up the blood. At least that’d help him cope. Jinki sighed, trying to be patient and understanding. 

It was the first time Taemin found out the new tenants were different. Different how? He had no clue. His first instinct wasn’t that they were vampires. He thought that was kind of irrational because vampires didn’t exist, right? 

He rationalized that they were just some looney humans on a blood diet or something. Or just some weirdos that took pleasure in drinking blood. That made more sense to him than the vampire theory. Either way, he was intrigued so he sunk farther back out of sight to continue observing from afar. 

After eavesdropping, Taemin soon found out they really were vampires, or at least that Jonghyun was because as he punctured the blood bag, Taemin noticed Jonghyun’s canine teeth elongated as he gulped down the blood bag like it was no tomorrow. If Taemin were alive, he would have thrown up at the sight. 

“What the fuck,” he said to himself. At that moment, the lights flickered causing Jinki to look up. 

“We have to get that fixed soon.”

“I told you to go ahead and get it done,” Jonghyun said licking his fingers. 

“Well, I wanted to wait until were officially moved in before doing home renovations. That’ll only be in two more days, so we can wait it out.”

“Whatever you say.”

“Are you satisfied?” He asked looking at Jonghyun who was struggling to drink the last drop of blood. 

“What do you think?” Lack of blood definitely affected Jonghyun’s mood. 

Jinki did something that surprised Taemin. He rolled up his sleeve and held his arm up to Jonghyun’s mouth like an offering. Did this tall nice guy accept his friend being a vampire? Or was he also a vampire?

Jonghyun gently pushed Jinki’s arm away and shook his head no. “I’ll be fine. This is all a part of us moving on from The Order. I’ll have to go cold turkey one day. I can’t use you as a walking blood bag.”

“Yeah, but you’re in your early stages of withdrawal. I don’t mind helping-“

“No, it’s ok really. But thanks.” At that, Jonghyun stood up and walked out the door while Jinki gave a worried expression. 

Taemin originally planned on staying in the shadows until the two vampires eventually got it in their heads that they’re not wanted, but that flew out the window when he realized the two men could actually see and hear him. 

When Jonghyun responded to Taemin’s snarky remarks, although surprised, Taemin was ecstatic. You’d think the guy won the lottery. “I’m sorry,” he apologized as he tried to calm down. “I just can’t believe you guys can actually hear and see me!”

Jonghyun lifted a brow before looking towards Jinki. “Jinki, may I have a word with you?” Before the elder vampire could answer, Jonghyun quickly gripped his arm and dragged them to the kitchen. 

Once they made it, Jonghyun let go of his arm and exclaimed, “A ghost?! A ghost, Jinki. Just listen to how ridiculous that sounds-“

“It’s the only explanation-“

“No, the only explanation is that this guy’s escaped the looney bin and broke into our house! He’s invading our privacy.”

Both men nearly jumped out of their skin when Taemin appeared out of nowhere humorously saying, “Privacy? You can’t keep secrets from me in my own home.”

Jonghyun quickly got defensive, “How’d you get in here?!”

“Easy. I teleported, or shall I say, manifested. It’s the technical ghost term, but teleporting sounds cooler, you know?”

Jonghyun looked to Jinki wondering how the older man was handling himself so well. A ghost? He was sure those things never existed. The only things that existed in his world were vampires. Vampires and the humans that were needed to keep them alive. 

Now he’s hearing that ghosts are real while this kid looks as human as anyone else. 

Jinki gave a gentle smile and walked towards Taemin. “You’re right. This is your house isn’t it? Hey, I’m-“

“Jinki, I know. And the short guy over there is Jonghyun.”

Jonghyun’s eyes widened in disbelief. “How do you know that?”

“Because I’ve been watching you guys for some time. I’ve learned a lot as the days have passed.”

Jonghyun brushed past Jinki to get in front of him as a thought quickly came to mind. “Who sent you?”

“Sent me?”

“Was it a clan member? Did you come alone? Well, that was a pretty bad idea. Jinki, stand back,” he finished as his anger built. He could feel his canines tingling in the urge to protrude.

Any normal person would be scared, but Taemin looked on in amusement. This was the most interesting conversation he’d ever had with anyone since he was alive. Did this guy really not believe he was a ghost? As if believing in ghosts was any more preposterous than believing in vampires? 

Jinki whisper-shouted, “Jonghyun, stop it. He’s not from a clan.”

“How can you be so sure?”

Jinki sighed in an attempt to keep his patience. “What does his blood smell like?”

Jonghyun’s brows scrunched, “What type of question-“

“Just answer it.”

Jonghyun looked back at the boy as he honed in on all of his senses. He closed his eyes and took a sniff in Taemin’s general direction. What came back to him wasn’t a smell, but confusion. 

He turned to Jinki, “I smell nothing.”

“Exactly. If he were alive, you would’ve smelled his blood as soon as we entered the house. Just think about that.”

Jonghyun still didn’t get it. If it’s true that this guy’s a ghost, then what’s his business with them? “Ok, let’s just say his is a ghost. Why is he in our house?”

“Wait!” They both jumped again as Taemin cut them off. “I want to see how long it takes the short one to figure it out this time.”

“Excuse me?!”

“I don’t mean to be rude, but it’s pretty obvious. It seems your friend here was able to figure it out as soon as he was me.” Taemin giggles before saying nonchalantly, “I died here.”

Jonghyun grabbed Jinki’s arm again saying, “We need to talk — again. And you,” he stopped walking to look at Taemin, “Don’t follow us.”

Taemin put his hands up in surrender as Jonghyun dragged Jinki back to the living room. “What in the actual fuck, Jinki?! Someone died here and you knew about it?! So what now? We have Casper as a roommate?”

“I didn’t know about it until today, I promise. Mr. Lee told me when you were gone getting some fresh air. That boy in there is Mr. Lee’s son.”

Jonghyun let the information sink in. Not only were ghosts real, but he would be living with one? “His son really died here?” Jinki nodded. “How?”

Jinki shrugged as he sat on the couch. “No idea. Maybe you should ask him.”

Taemin shouted from the kitchen, “Can I stop pretending to not be here now?” 

He didn’t hear an answer, but walked into the living room anyway. Both vampires stared in silence as Taemin made his way in front of them. It was quite awkward if you asked him, but he was determined to get Jonghyun to believe him. He quickly got an idea in his head thinking if this doesn’t work, I don’t know what will. 

He walked up to Jonghyun with his hand held out. “Shake it.”

“Why-“

“Just do it.” 

Jonghyun hesitates, but went to shake the boy’s hand anyway, intending to be met with the feeling of skin. However, right as their hands were about to make contact, his hand went straight through Taemin’s. It felt like nothing but air. 

Jonghyun stared up wide-eyed as a smile slowly formed on Taemin’s face. “See?!” 

Jinki couldn’t help the small smile that formed on his face. Taemin was definitely quite a character. 

“So do you believe me now?”

Jonghyun got up abruptly saying, “I gotta go.”

Jinki followed, “Where are you going?”

“Out. Don’t follow me.” And with that, Jonghyun disappeared into the neighborhood. 

Jinki sighed for what felt like the hundredth time that day. Sometimes he wondered about Jonghyun. He could act like a hormonal teenage brat, and it would always leave Jinki clueless on how the other is feeling. However, he knew Jonghyun would come back. It’s not like he’d do anything reckless. 

He turned around seeing Taemin looking at him curiously. He asked, “Does he always run away like that?”

Jinki chuckled. “It’s common.”

—

Jonghyun left the house because he felt like he needed to get away. Yes, he was on edge from not feeding, but he was also annoyed. Beyond annoyed. 

After all of this time from being on the run, he was ready for him and Jinki to finally have a place of their own. A place where it would only be them. A place where they wouldn’t have to worry about explaining themselves or looking over their shoulders in paranoia of others. He thought he’d finally found that when he and Jinki lucked up on this house. 

Sadly, Taemin ruined that. 

Learning that the kid was there lurking around the whole time definitely made Jonghyun uncomfortable. It’s not that he disliked him or anything. Taemin hadn’t given him a reason to, yet. It was just the fact that once he thought he could finally get the privacy he wanted, it turned out that his little sanctuary came with a ghost. Go figure. He’d deal with it when he gets back home, he thought as he continued to walk down the sidewalk of the neighborhood. 

The sun was setting, much to Jonghyun’s satisfaction since night was his friend. He’d been walking for a couple minutes when heard a female voice calling his name. He looked up seeing Taeyeon in her driveway beckoning him over. 

This seemed like a bad idea. Jonghyun knew it, especially since she was so pushy earlier. What could she possibly want now?

Jonghyun put on his best fake smile and walked up Taeyeon’s driveway. She met him halfway with a beautiful smile. “Hey. What are you up to?”

He shrugged. “Just walking. Enjoying the scenery.”

“Oh, ok. I was just checking my mail when I noticed you walking toward my house. Did you finally make up your mind on going out with me or something?”

Jonghyun looked behind him in confusion. He didn’t even notice that her house was straight down from his. Great. Now she thinks he purposely walked this direction to see her, which was definitely not the case. 

“Taeyeon, thank you for the invite, but I’m kind of busy tonight. Maybe next time?”

The spark in her eyes seemed to dwindle after processing Jonghyun’s response. “Yeah, sure. Next time.” She turned to go back into her home. 

Jonghyun turned around to head back to his place when the earlier events played out in his head. He didn’t want to go home just yet. Not when he’d be forced to face his problems. 

Maybe hanging out with Taeyeon would be a good distraction. Jonghyun was confident in himself that he wouldn’t hurt her. He hadn’t killed a human since his clan days. The only obstacle was the fact that he hadn’t fed yet, but he convinced himself that he would be ok. Jinki will get more blood bags tomorrow at work, so Jonghyun could hold out until then. 

“Actually,” he said causing Taeyeon to turn and look at him. “Going out doesn’t do so bad after all.”

She immediately perked and the spark was back. “Really?! Are you still down for going to that new bar downtown? I heard it’s fun.”

Jonghyun mentally cringed at the thought of being surrounded by humans in a crowded bar. “Um, I don’t really drink-“

“You don’t have to. I promise I won’t force you. I just want to check it out, and I’m afraid to go by myself. You’ll keep me safe.”

Jonghyun scoffed, “Me? Keep you safe?” If only she knew he was the most unsafe person to be around at this time.

“Yeah, from the drunk bastards.”

“Hmm, I’m still not too sure.”

She gave a charming smile, walking up closer to Jonghyun to grab his hand. “Oh, come on. It’ll be fun.”

Jonghyun had to close his eyes as he got a strong whiff of Taeyeon’s blood. It smells so sweet and enticing, and as much as he wanted to turn her down just to be safe, he couldn’t ignore the fact that she was a beautiful woman. 

He opened his eyes and nodded. “Ok.”

“Ok? Great! Let me go get my jacket and we’ll be on our way.” She let go of his hand to run into the house. Jonghyun watched after her wondering what he was getting himself into. 

—-

“You really can’t remember anything?” Jinki asked Taemin as they sat on the couch, Taemin sitting with his legs comfortably crisscrossed. 

With Jonghyun gone, Jinki decided to use this time to get to know Taemin. This wasn’t his first run-in with a ghost, and he wanted to help the boy move on. He felt bad for him. 

Taemin frowned and shook his head. “No. Every time I try, my mind goes blank. The only things my memory lets me remember are things that happened before I died. I have no idea why.”

“Mm,” Jinki said in deep thought. “That’s intriguing.”

“Why?”

“Because that’s not normal. Every ghost I’ve encountered in the past have known about their death. It’s one of the first things they tell me whenever we meet.”

Taemin chuckled. “So you’re a ghost whisperer?”

Jinki grinned. “Something like that.”

“How is it that I can see you? Is it some vampire power or something?”

“The only explanation I can come up with is the fact that we’re both dead. Even though I have a body and people think I’m human, I’m still a creature of the night. I’m not really alive. So maybe that’s what allows me to see you.”

Taemin groaned. “You’re lucky. At least you get to go out and see the world. I’m stuck here staring at these ugly walls that dad should’ve painted.”

“I wouldn’t call my condition luck.”

“Still, at least you get out.”

Jinki paused as a question came to mind. “Wait. You said you’re stuck here. What do you mean?”

“I mean I’m stuck here. I can’t go outside, across the street, across the world. Nowhere, but here. Every time I try to do so, the house won’t let me. The only thing I can do is look out the door and long for the day that I’ll be free.”

Jinki looked to Taemin in deep thought. He couldn’t remember how he died, and he couldn’t go anywhere further than the front door. This wasn’t normal. There must be an answer to all of this. 

“Why are you staring at me?” Taemin’s question snapped Jinki out of his thoughts. 

“Sorry. I’m just concerned about what you’re going through. It’s not normal for a ghost to not remember how they died. It’s also not normal for them to have restrictions in the after life. You should be able to roam freely as you please. There has to be an answer to this.”

“There’s an answer? I thought I was just forever doomed here.”

Jinki shook his head no. “I have a theory, but I’m not sure about it. This house is now a part of you, right? You can cause things to happen here, even if it’s on accident.”

“Like when I got excited and blew that lightbulb out over there?” He pointed to the lamp by the kitchen. 

“Yes. In some way, this house is a part of you. It’s connected to your mood and emotions. What I’m trying to get at is since you don’t know how you died, you feel lost and stuck. Maybe this house is keeping you in because it wants you to learn about your death. Then maybe, just maybe, you’ll be free to roam after finding out, but that’s only a theory.”

Taemin stared in bewilderment. “That’s quite some theory. I mean, it sounds like it makes sense. I wouldn’t be surprised if it’s true. However, what does that all mean? I’ve been stuck here for six months trying to remember how I died, and nothing’s come up. I don’t even know where to start.”

Jinki gave a comforting smile. “Well, that’s why I’m here. I’ll help you.”

“Really?”

He nodded. “Yes. That’s only if you want me to.”

Taemin quickly nodded, “Of course! Please! I’ve gotten nowhere doing this by myself.”

“Ok then. Once I get some information, I’ll get back with you.”

Taemin squealed in excited and went to hug Jinki, but fell right through him. 

Taemin sat up in embarrassment. “I’m sorry. Sometimes I forget I can’t do things like that anymore.”

Jinki chuckled. “It’s ok. I totally understand.”

Taemin nodded as he fought off embarrassment. Then he remembered something, “I forgot to thank you for earlier.”

“Earlier when?”

“When you comforted my dad. Thank you for doing that. It’s been a awhile since I’ve seen him here. I watched from afar because I didn’t want my energy affecting him, but I really appreciate the way you took care of him. Thank you.”

Jinki smiled. “It’s no problem. I would want someone to do the same for my dad if I were in your situation. You don’t have to thank me.”

“You’re so nice. Why can’t your friend be more like you?”

“Jonghyun?”

Taemin nodded. “Yeah, he’s kind of rude.”

Jinki laughed dismissively. “Jonghyun’s a nice guy. He just has a lot going on right now. You just have to be patient with him. He’ll come around.”

“Hmm. I have a question.”

“Go ahead.”

“So, are you and Jonghyun....you know?

Jinki raised a brow. “Together?”

“Yeah. I know it’s intrusive to ask, but I was curious.”

“No, we’re not.”

“You’ve never fooled around or anything?”

“No, we’ve only been good friends. Why? Are you interested-“

“Hell no.” Jinki burst out laughing at Taemin’s response. “I was just curious because you’re always so quick to defend him.”

“Well, yeah. We’ve known each other for a long time. We’ve seen each other at our best and at our worst. Jonghyun’s a guy with a lot of baggage and I sympathize with him a lot. But trust me, when he’s being stupid, I’m the first to let him know.”

“And you trust that he’s staying out of trouble?”

“There are times that I worry about him, but I know he wouldn’t harm anyone. We’ve both sworn off humans and he’s done well so far. I know it’s more of a struggle for him than me, so I try to be understanding.”

“Fair enough. Still don’t like him.”

Jinki held back another laugh and nodded. “Fair enough.”

—

Jonghyun cried in frustration as he sat on the floor next to the bed, gripping his hair with one of thus blood-stained hands. He couldn’t believe what he’d just done. After more than a year of keeping his promise, it all came crashing down in a split second. 

Jinki would be so disappointed in him. He disappointed himself. Tonight wasn’t supposed to go like this. No matter how much he tried to justify it, there’s no excuse for what he did. 

The problem was too big for him to handle, and he knew what he had to do. 

In desperation, Jonghyun quickly pulled out his phone to call the last person he wanted to be speaking to. The phone rang only once before he heard the voice he thought he’d never hear again. 

“What a pleasant surprise, Jonghyun. Long time, no speak.”

Jonghyun let out a broken sob before taking a deep breath. “I need your help.”


	3. Full Moon.

Another month. Another full moon. 

For a normal person, the night of a full moon means practically nothing, aside from the changing levels of the ocean’s tides and the supposed effects on human behavior such as mood changes. Overall, for the vast majority of people, a full moon is a harmless asset of Mother Nature. 

However, for some people in this world, another night of a full moon means another day of waking up dirty, bloody, and stark naked against a bright morning sun confused about what happened the previous night. 

That had become the life of Choi Minho. 

Minho was once a happy man with a normal life. He had a loving family, a great job as a male nurse, and he was also engaged to the love of his life, Kwon Yuri. They were high school sweethearts and practically grew up together. By the time college graduation came around, they had their whole lives planned out even before the proposal — move in together, get married, have kids, and live happily ever after. It was the only reality they could see themselves living in. 

Unfortunately, Minho’s plans came crashing down that fateful night three years ago when he was attacked on a camping trip. 

It only took one night for Minho’s life to be ruined. It only took one night for his reality to cease to exist. There would be no more plans of marriage or a happy family. There would be no more family get-togethers or nights out with the guys. There wouldn’t even be any more playful sibling rivalries between him and his little sister, Jinri. None of life’s delicacies that normal people got to enjoy were an option for him. Not anymore. Not even when it came down to a full moon. 

Immediately after finding out what he was, Minho ran away from home. He left so abruptly that he wasn’t able to tell anyone goodbye. Not even his little sister or his soon-to-be wife. How would he explain to his family what he was?

Although it pained him, he knew it was for the best. His family and fiancé would’ve tried to make him stay if he gave them a heads up about him leaving, and there was no way he could put them in danger like that. He’d convinced himself that he was a monster, and distance was the only thing that would keep his family safe. 

Now, three years later, Minho found himself lying naked and bloody on the forest floor again next to the dead carcass of a deer. 

Poor Bambi, he thought. It was a shame that such a beautiful thing had to be sacrificed in order for Minho to live. It didn’t deserve this, but sadly, that’s how Minho survived. A life for a life. At least it was Bambi this time instead of a human. 

Minho had grown used to these types of mornings. He had no choice. It was either get used to it or go insane from the fact that he was the very monster described in fictional novels. Unfortunately, growing used to it didn’t mask the feeling of pure disgust and hatred he had with himself. Hate turned into anger over the fact that he couldn’t do anything about it. He felt vulnerable, hopeless, and like he had no control over his own body. 

The only thing he could do to not go completely insane was live his days as a normal human until another full moon came. He went to work, got groceries, went to the gym, did laundry, he even joined a neighborhood watch a while ago when he used to live in the city. 

He conversed normally with people, and even gave advice when needed, which humored him since he’s definitely not qualified. 

Sadly, no matter how close to normalcy he thought he was, he couldn’t run away from the truth. He was a monster, and until he either found a cure or a way to reverse it, he would be stuck like this forever. 

“Shit,” Minho groaned as he slowly sat up, touching his forehead as he felt a headache coming on. He looked over to the deer once again, “Thank you. I’m sorry.”

He felt less guilty about his actions whenever he acknowledged what he did was wrong. Although the deer obviously couldn’t hear him, it was the only coping mechanism Minho had to make himself feel a little more humane and less like an animal. 

He groaned again as he slowly stood up, stretching and popping his bones. He wasn’t sure why, but every morning after changing back into a human, his body always felt like it was weighed down or had been hit by a truck. He would be so sore to the point that even sneezing would cause pain. 

He was hoping that three years of going through this would help get his body used to the pain and discomfort — it didn’t. Probably never would, which was a sad reality that Minho had to deal with. 

Weary that there are often hikers passing through this area of the woods, Minho sucked up all his pain and jogged as quickly as his body would allow him to his camper trailer that was setup somewhere deep in the woods where no one could find him. It was a tiny trailer, but it was enough room for him. 

Honestly, he was fine with any living conditions as far away from society as possible as long as it meant no one else would get hurt from his carelessness. 

It was always awkward jogging naked in the woods, unsure of whether not he’d run into someone. Luckily for him, the wolf hadn’t slept too far from the camper this time. It was a quick two-minute jog before his home came in sight. 

As soon as he stepped foot inside, he ran to the bathroom to look at the mirror. He stared back at himself in disappointment when he noticed the dried blood pooling out of his mouth down his chin. His torso was covered in blood as well as his arms. He looked at his nails and nearly cursed, knowing that it was going to take quite the effort to get the blood stains out. He never understood why his wolf had to be so violent. 

He checked the time on the microwave and saw that he only had about two hours to get ready for work. It was plenty of time, but he knew most of it would be spent scrubbing out the blood stains from under his nails. At least he wouldn’t have to worry about doing this again until the next month. 

As expected, Minho used most of his time showering and only had 30 minutes left to get dressed, run into town to make it to the city bus, and to get to work on time. He could do it though. He always did. 

He threw on his scrubs and shoes, almost making it out the door, before catching a glimpse of the two pictures he had hung up on his wall. They were pictures he cherished because they represented the very two things that he loved more than anything — his sister and fiancé, well ex-fiancé. 

He walked over to Jinri’s pinned photo and gave a slight smile like he always did. It was a picture they both took at his sister’s high school graduation. He had an arm wrapped around her shoulders while she had her arms tightly wrapped around his waist, both sporting wide smiles full of pure happiness. He was genuinely proud of his sister in that moment, especially because she struggled so much senior year. The picture warmed his heart every time he looked at it. 

He then looked at the picture hanging next to Jinri’s, a beautiful picture of him and his ex-lover the night of the marriage proposal. Yuri was proudly holding the ring up to the camera smiling as Minho looked at her in amazement and pure love. He always got goosebumps whenever he looked at that photo because it was a constant reminder that he’d never have that kind of love again. He’d never be that happy again. He was sure of it. 

He felt tears welling up in his eyes, which was his cue to leave. He didn’t want to be late for work.   
—

Today was Jinki’s first day working at the new hospital and saying he was nervous would be an understatement. It had been over a year since he practiced medicine, and he was feeling a little uncomfortable, not in his ability to perform well, but in his ability to work around humans again.

Although he was confident in his ability to suppress his urges when it came to blood, he knew it wouldn’t be easy when there would be such a large concentration of humans in one place. It was always a challenge for him, but he was willing to make the sacrifice if it meant he could create a better life for himself and Jonghyun that didn’t depend on The Order. 

After throwing on his scrubs and making sure his hair looked well-put together, Jinki made his way downstairs, finding Taemin sprawled out on the couch while the tv played the news. 

He chuckled as he reached the couch. “You actually watch the news? I thought it was only for old folks like me.”

Taemin answered with his eyes still glued to the tv. “Well, I don’t know how to turn the channel in ghost form. The only thing I can do is turn the tv on or off, and it was on this channel when I turned it on. Besides, the news is the only way I know what’s going on in the real world since I can’t step out there myself. 

“Makes sense.”

“Yeah,” he answered as he finally looked up to see Jinki in full doctor gear. “Oooo. Hey, handsome. I think I’m running a fever. Could you check me, doc?”

Jinki blushed not knowing how to handle Taemin. “Shut up.”

“Your patients are so lucky. I wish my doctor was as good looking as you. Maybe I wouldn’t have missed so many appointments. Instead, I got stuck with a doctor that looked as old as dirt.”

Jinki burst out laughing. Taemin was quite the funny kid. “Trust me, if I weren’t a vampire, I’d be looking as old as dirt too, maybe even worse.”

“Oh please. That’s not possible. I’m surprised you could even style yourself without my help. Aren’t vampires supposed to be, like, invisible in mirrors or something?”

“Well, not quite. That’s one of the many vampire myths that aren’t true.”

Their conversation was interrupted abruptly with Jonghyun came barging into the living room. He was about to address Jinki when he noticed Taemin, rudely stating, “Oh. You’re still here.”

Taemin rolled his eyes. “It’s my house.”

“No, it’s ours, as in me and Jinki. You’re just an uninvited house guest that we can’t kick out.”

Before an argument could ensue, Jinki addressed Jonghyun with a raised brow, “You look particularly refreshed.” 

“I hunted last night.” 

Jinki couldn’t tell if Jonghyun was lying or not. He hoped his friend wasn’t because the only way they could successfully transition into society was if they were honest with each other. Plus, they usually went hunting together. “By yourself? You were gone all night. Are you sure that’s all you did?”

Jonghyun rolled his eyes. “Yes, dad. Would you like to give me a curfew while you’re at it?”

Jinki held up his hands in surrender. “I was just asking.”

“Well stop. I’m not in the mood.”

The voice of the news reporter caught all of their attention. 

Now onto other news: 25-year-old female, Kim Taeyeon, has been reported missing. Friends and family of Miss Kim claim that the young woman was last seen around 2am leaving the new nightclub located downtown. Although authorities aren’t yet treating this as a missing person’s case, the family of Miss Kim are taking matters into their own hands. 

The scene cut to a middle-aged woman in tears as she spoke into the reporter’s mic. 

“Taeyeon. My poor, sweet Taeyeon. She’s gone. I know it. We call each other every night, even when she goes out to bars. She’ll usually text me when she gets home to let me know she’s alright because she knows I’ll worry all day and night about her. Around midnight, I got a text from her saying that she was on her way to the bar, but that night, I didn’t get a text or a call on her arrival home.” 

The woman broke down, but continued to speak. 

“I know something’s gone horribly wrong. I just know it. I’m just hoping that wherever she is, she’s alive and safe. If any of you out there see her, please send her to me, especially if she’s in danger. Please come home, Taeyeon. Whenever you get the chance, come see momma. I love you so much, baby girl. If any of you out there knows what happened to her, please contact me-”

“Cut that off.” Jinki and Taemin’s heads snapped to Jonghyun who was staring at the wall with his arms crossed. 

Jinki noticed his discomfort. “Why? Did you know her-”

“Just cut it off.” He turned to leave the living room, mumbling, “It’s depressing,” as he disappeared up the stairs. He slammed his room door, leaving Jinki and Taemin to stare at each other in confusion. 

Jinki picked up the remote and cut the tv off. “He’s right. It is depressing. Although I feel sorry for the family, there’s nothing we can do about it.”

“I knew her.”

The room filled with awkward silence and Jinki immediately felt bad for what he said. “I’m sorry-”

“It’s ok. I didn’t know her well, but I knew of her. She dated my brother for a little bit. It wasn’t too serious though. She was a nice lady. I know her family must be devastated. I hope they find her. I would hate for my brother to lose two people he loved in the same year.”

Jinki gave Taemin a sad, but comforting smile, considering he couldn’t actually hug him or hold his hand. “I hope so too.”

“Yeah.”

At that, Jonghyun came back downstairs in a new outfit. Jinki checked his watch and let out a nervous sigh. “I guess I’ll be going now.”

Taemin pouted as he whined, “You’re leaving me with him?” He pointed to Jonghyun who was pacing while staring at his phone. 

He snapped his head up and sneered, “You don’t have to worry about me because I’m not going to be here anyway.” Then he stormed out the front door, as usual. 

Taemin turned to Jinki. “I thought you said he was a nice guy and that he’d warm up to me.”

“He is, and he will. It’s something bothering him that has him acting this way. It has to be. I’ll get to the bottom of it. In the meantime, I have to go to work.”

“For how long?”

“It’s a shorter shift today since it’s my first day, so eight hours.”

“Eight hours?! What am I supposed to do for that long? The news gets boring very quickly.”

“Well, you could practice. Practice on strengthening your spirit energy because maybe you’ll eventually find a way to leave this house.”

“That would be nice.”

“I know. That’s why I want you to try. Don’t give up. I haven’t given up on you, so please don’t give up on yourself. It may take a while, but we’re both going to figure out how to get you out of here, ok?”

Taemin gave a genuine smile. “Thank you. I would hug you right now, but we both know how that’ll go. Anyway, I’ve kept you long enough. I hope your first day goes well.”

“Me too. If you need anything, call me. I have a landline hooked up. Since you were able to cut the tv on, maybe you’ll be able to work the phone without touching it.”

Taemin’s eyes widened in excitement. “Really? I didn’t even think about that. Now I can talk your ear off while you’re not even here!”

Jinki winced at the thought. “Yeah, just call me on my lunch break.”  
—

Jinki walked into the hospital like a lamb in a field of lions. He was a man of routine, and at the moment, he was feeling out of place because everything was different and new to him — new hospital, new patients, new coworkers, etc. The biggest difference was the fact that he wouldn’t be working at this hospital as a recruiter for The Order. His only agenda was to help patients. 

Even though Jinki’s control over his blood craving’s near perfection, throughout the day, he couldn’t let help but glance at the necks of a few people he passed by or talked to. It was simply a force of habit. 

As the day went on, Jinki became a tad bit more comfortable. The people were nice and very welcoming, and the constant pressure of The Order was gone. This new life didn’t seem so bad. 

After having a lengthy conversation with Taemin, who talked his ear off for his whole lunch break, Jinki got up to leave the cafeteria. However, right as he stood up, he accidentally stepped on the foot of a nurse walking by. 

“Ouch,” the man hissed lowly in pain, looking as if he was trying to keep his cool. 

Jinki quickly panicked because he didn’t want to start off his first day making enemies. He sat both himself and the stranger down as he apologized. “I’m so so sorry. I didn’t mean to-”

The man’s light chuckle cut him off. “It’s fine. I wasn’t watching where I was going.”

“No, I should’ve looked to see if anyone was coming before standing up.”

During their exchange, Jinki couldn’t help but notice a faint smell coming from this stranger. It smelled like blood of course, but there was a hint of something mixed with it, which wasn’t uncommon. Some humans have either a stronger, sweeter, or spicier scent than others. 

However, this man’s scent was something that Jinki couldn’t quite put his finger on. The smell was very familiar, though. He knew he’d smelled that scent before, maybe years ago, but he was drawing a blank. 

He snapped out of his thoughts when the man stated, “I don’t think I’ve ever seen you around here before, and I know everyone. Are you a new nurse?”

Jinki shook his head. “No, I’m actually the new doctor.”

The man’s brows lifted in surprise. “Oh, really? You look so young to be a doctor.”

“I get that a lot.”

“Wait, I forgot to introduce myself. I’m Minho. What’s your name?” 

“Jinki. I just moved to this town and today’s my first day at the hospital. So that explains why you haven’t seen me.”

“Do you know anyone here in town?”

He knew Taemin, but he didn’t see it fitting to introduce a dead person as his friend. “No, I moved here with a friend and that’s about it.”

Minho sighed and crossed his arms, leaning on the table. “It’s good to have a few friends here because it’s easy and fast to make enemies.”

“What makes you think I can’t handle myself?”

“I’m not saying you can’t handle yourself-”

“Oh, but I need friends like you to keep me safe?”

He stuttered out, “I- that’s not what I meant. I mean-”

Jinki snickered, giving Minho a light pat on the shoulder. “I’m just joking.” That was a human thing to do after all. 

Minho gave a sigh of relief as he nodded in approval. “Good one. You really had me going.”

As Minho continued to talk to him animatedly, Jinki zoned out again as his thoughts began to cloud his mind. He was contemplating whether it would be a good idea to invite Minho over. Although they’d just met each other, it seemed like the right thing to do. 

Coworkers invite each other out all the time, right? He could do this. 

He cut off Minho’s speech about ugly scrubs by saying, “I have to get back to work now, but I wouldn’t mind you coming over my place after work. We could just hang out if you’d like.”

Something Jinki wasn’t expecting was the moment of hesitation that flashed across Minho’s face. 

He quickly retracted, “You don’t have to come if you don’t want to. I realize we just met-”

“No, it’s ok. Of course, I’ll come. Besides, it’ll be an honor to become your first new friend in this town.”

Jinki let out a sigh of relief as a victorious smile made its way across his face. This was the most excited he’d been in a while. Although he was nervous about having someone over, it was a step in the right direction. He also thought it would be interesting getting to know someone who wasn’t dead, no offense to Taemin or Jonghyun. 

He’d finally get to know someone who’s human.   
—

Taemin tried following Jinki’s advice. He really did. 

Right after Jinki left that morning, he walked around the house looking for objects he could possibly use to help build his strength. He believed that if he could build up enough energy to move an object, he could possibly learn how to build up enough energy to walk out the front door. Maybe in the process, he could also learn about his death. 

His first attempt was with a magazine that sat on the coffee table in the living room. He thought it was an easy object start with. It was paper after all. How hard could it be?

Taemin sat on his knees staring at the magazine. “Ok. Let’s go this!” He clapped his hands as an attempt to rile himself up. 

First, he tried moving the magazine with his mind. He was well-aware that he didn’t have telekinetic powers, but it couldn’t hurt to try. 

He stared for what felt like forever. “Oh, come on,” he whispered, focusing as hard as he could on the magazine. After a few more moments of the magazine sitting still, he sat back as he let out a disappointed groan. “I bet I look so stupid right now.”

He decided to change tactics. Instead of telekinesis, he decided he should try to physically turn the page. He knew he was probably setting himself up for disappointment, but he had to try. He promised Jinki he would. 

He leaned forward again as he set his hand on the magazine. It was still odd to him how he could feel objects, but he couldn’t move them. It was even more odd that he could feel objects, but not humans. Jinki’s explanation of it was that since humans, and technically vampires, are alive, Taemin’s not allowed to interact or make contact with them. 

However, since objects like a magazine or a couch are inanimate, Taemin could actually feel them. That’s one of the reasons why he doesn’t sink into the couch when he sits on it. 

He was still confused on it a little, but he was thankful that he had Jinki there to make sense of the situation. 

Now, back to the magazine. Although he could touch it, touching it had nothing to do with his ability to move it. 

“Here we go.” He attempted to move his arm so the magazine would slide across the table under his hand. Sadly, the magazine didn’t move at all and Taemin felt like he was trying to move a ton of bricks. 

Sweat started to beam on his forehead as he continued to struggle. This magazine wasn’t going anywhere, and he wasn’t getting any stronger. 

“Crap!” He yelled in frustration and snatched his hand away from the magazine. 

He couldn’t understand why this was happening to him. Why was he so weak? Why was he so helpless? Why was he in this predicament in the first place?

This was so frustrating. 

What upset Taemin the most wasn’t even the fact that he couldn’t move the magazine or that he was weak. It was the fact that he already felt like giving up. He’d promised Jinki that he’d keep trying, but after almost an hour of trying and getting no results, Taemin was ready to call it quits. 

Tears began to well up in his eyes. “Why did I even bother?” He sniffed as a tear made its way down his cheek, followed by more. 

He felt so pathetic. The only thing he could do was cry, so he did. He balled up on the living room floor and cried endless tears. He wished to be stronger, happier, alive. The sad reality was that he knew you couldn’t always get what you wished for. 

Unbeknownst to Taemin, the house began to change around him as he continued to cry. Jinki’s hypothesis of Taemin’s emotions being connected to the house was completely true. As he sobbed on the floor, the paint started peeling if the wall, the lights kept flickering, the kitchen sink began to fill with murky water, and etc. 

Taemin wasn’t aware of it though because he hadn’t looked up the whole time he was crying. 

He wasn’t made aware of it until Jinki walked into the house with a confused expression. Taemin overhead him ask, “What happened to the house?”

Upon hearing Jinki’s voice, Taemin instantly perked up and wiped his tears. He got off the floor just as Jinki rounded the corner into the living room. “You’re back!” 

Taemin’s sudden change in mood caused everything in the house to change back to normal right in front of their eyes. 

Jinki was going to comment on how weird that was when he caught the redness of Taemin’s eyes and nose. “I take it the practice didn’t go well.”

Taemin stood there in silence, embarrassed to admit that he’d failed. 

“It’s ok, Taemin. This isn’t going to be an easy thing to go through. So, don’t get discouraged if things aren’t happening as fast as you’d like it. You just need to have patience, ok?”

Taemin nodded. “Yeah. I know”

Their conversation was cut short from the sound of the front door opening. 

Taemin groaned, “Here comes Jonghyun.” However, the voice he heard sounded nothing like the shorter male. 

“Your neighborhood has horrible street parking.” 

A handsome dark-haired stranger rounded the corner. Taemin was just about to ask Jinki who the hottie was until the guy surprised Taemin by speaking him. 

He gave a warm smile his direction saying, “Hey, I’m Minho. You must be the roommate Jinki’s told me about.” He ended his greeting with a hand outstretched for him to shake. 

Taemin looked nervously at Jinki who looked just as dumbfounded. “Umm, Jinki? Can I talk to you for a minute?”

They both left the living room quickly, leaving Minho to feel like he’d done something wrong. They walked down to the basement in hurried steps. As soon as they were at the bottom, Taemin freaked out. 

“Omg! Is it, like, vamp fest or something?! Are you bringing your whole clan here for a little vampire reunion?!”

Jinki furrowed his brows as he, too, was puzzled. “He’s not a vampire-”

“But he can see me! What if I was doing some weird ghost thing when he came in?”

“Look, I’m just as shocked as you are-”

“Oh no,” Taemin stated in dread. “Don’t tell me he’s dead. Is he dead? I don’t need another ghost taking up space-”

“No, he’s not dead. I don’t know how he can see you, Taemin. But until I can come up with an explanation, what I need you to do right now is to play along like you’re a human.”

“I am one-”

“An alive one.”

“How am I supposed to do that? I’m as dead as it gets. You saw him try to shake my hand. What am I supposed to do if he tries to touch me again?”

Jinki stalled for a while then snapped his fingers as a thought came to mind. “I got it! Just say you’re a germaphobe and you don’t like touching people.” Taemin gave him a blank look. “It’s the only thing I can think of right now. I know it’s weird and I’m sorry I’m putting you in such a weird position, but please, Taemin. This is one of my first attempts at trying to live a normal life, at trying you make normal friends. Please help me out.”

Taemin sighed, wishing he could disappear on command. He hadn’t quite mastered that yet. “Ok I’ll do it this once. But you owe me a week of the tv being on Nickelodeon.” 

Jinki raised a brow. “What?”

“SpongeBob is usually on and it never gets old.”

It was quite an odd request, but one that Jinki didn’t mind fulfilling. “Deal. Thank you!”

They headed back up to the living room, finding Minho sitting awkwardly on the couch. Jinki sat next to him while Taemin sat on the adjacent chair. 

Taemin slowly spoke. “Sorry about earlier. I’m a germaphobe and I panicked when you tried to shake my hand.” He felt so ridiculous. 

Minho’s eyes widened. “Really? I had no idea. I’m sorry for triggering you.”

Taemin shrugged. “Eh, it’s no big deal.” He looked at Jinki who gave him two thumbs up.   
—

Jonghyun was aware that he’d been acting strange. He tried his best to hide it, but after what he’d just been through for the past day and a half, it’d make anyone go crazy. 

He couldn’t be at the house right now. Not with Jinki who knows him like a book, and definitely not with Taemin who doesn’t give him any privacy. That’s one of the reasons why the boy annoys him so much. People usually go home to get away from stress and to be alone, not be bombarded with a ghost roommate. 

Jonghyun sighed, shaking off his thoughts. He had something more important to think about. 

He stood in the dark alley, waiting for the last person he wanted to see. Just standing there brought back so many negative memories of the times he roamed in the night. At those times, he felt liberated. The Order had a way of brainwashing you into feeling like what you were doing was normal, but it wasn’t. It took leaving and talking to Jinki for Jonghyun to realize that. 

Just the thought of Jinki made him feel bad for what he was about to do. He’d been treating his best friend horribly lately, and it didn’t go unnoticed. He hadn’t been there for him lately. He didn’t even cheer for him on his first day of work. He knew the day meant a lot to Jinki, but his mind was too clouded with other things at the moment. 

Now, he was disrespecting Jinki again. What would Jinki think of he knew who he was meeting? Jonghyun already knew the answer to that question. 

He could no longer contemplate as he saw a large figure walking down the dark alleyway. Jonghyun visibly tensed because he thought he’d never see this person again, especially after running away. 

As the man got closer to him, Jonghyun noticed the smug smile on his face. “Jonghyun, it’s so nice to see you.”

“Likewise,” he answered in a rigid voice. 

“I must say, I’m surprised you actually reached out to me. I thought that maybe after your dramatic leave with Jinki, I’d never see you again.”

“That was the goal. But-”

“But you came crawling back to daddy when something went wrong. That tends to happen-”

“Look, I came just to say thank you for helping out. I’d really appreciate it if you could make this whole situation disappear.”

“Anything for my favorite-”

“I’m not coming back, Keun-suk. I appreciate all that you and everyone else have done to clear me of this, but it was one mistake, a slip up. Our work together ends here.”

Keun-Suk narrowed his eyes. “Monsters don’t slip up, Jonghyun. It’s in our blood-”

“Well, not anymore-”

“Then what is? Who’s to say you won’t slip up again? Those little blood bags at the hospital? Those little animals in the woods? Jonghyun, you’re a killer, an apex predator. We’re at the top of the food chain. How could you ever hate that?”

“It’s easy to hate when you look at how many people get hurt.”

“Oh please. You were one of my best until Jinki got in your head.”

Jonghyun hissed, “The one that was in my head was you. Now, as I said before, I appreciate you helping me out, but please leave me alone.”

Keun-Suk gave a light chuckle before walking closer to Jonghyun. “You know I can’t do that. Now that I finally know where you are, I’m not going to let you slip from me again. I don’t know why it’s so hard for you to actually believe that I care about you, but I do-"

“You don’t. You care about power, and I was too blind back then to see that I was only helping you with your agenda, following you on your killing sprees. I’m a different man now-”

“Don’t lie. You’re still the same blood-thirsty animal like the rest of us. Just know that The Order will always be here when you need us.”

At that moment, a car turned into the alleyway and slowly drove up beside Keun-Suk. “My ride’s here. See you around, Jonghyun. It was nice catching up with you.”

Jonghyun watched in bewilderment as the car drove off into the darkness. He couldn’t believe he’d sunk this low. After over a year of leaving, he never knew he would be the one begging them to come back, all because of one mistake. 

However, he knew he had to put an end to it. And as much as it’d kill him, he couldn’t tell Jinki.


	4. Regret.

3:13 AM

Jonghyun sat on the floor, staring in shock at what he’d done. There was no coming back from this. All the efforts he’d made thus far, all the trials, all the triumphs, it all meant nothing. Everything vanished in the blink of an eye, and it was all his fault. 

If only he could control himself, if only he was as strong as Jinki, then maybe he wouldn’t be in this situation. Maybe he’d be able to keep his promise. 

With shaky, bloody hands, he held up his phone to his face waiting for the person on the other line to answer. It only took one ring for a voice to be heard. “What a pleasant surprise, Jonghyun. Long time, no speak.”

Jonghyun let out a broken sob before taking a deep breath. “I need your help.”

He glanced at the bed behind him, only to recoil back into his previous position when he noticed a trail of blood start to trickle down the side of the mattress. He could already smell the familiar scent of death overpowering the scent of life.

The voice on the other line answered calmly. “Don’t worry, my favorite little fledgling. Whatever the matter, I’ll make sure everything’s taken care of.” Jonghyun felt a shiver run up his spine. 

Favors from The Order didn’t come without sacrifices. 

—

4 Hours Earlier 

A bar. 

A bar full of humans. 

A bar full of drunk humans. 

What was Jonghyun thinking? 

Jonghyun sat at the bar with a blank expression as he waited for Taeyeon to return from the bathroom. They’d been there for nearly 30 minutes, and so far, he already felt like jumping out of a window. The close proximity of humans mixed with the scent of blood and alcohol was so intoxicating, almost hypnotizing. He was surprised he was even holding up so well. 

Maybe it was because he wanted to prove something — prove to himself that he could have self-control, and prove to Jinki that he could be trusted. 

It also didn’t hurt that he was out with a pretty girl. He had no idea how Taeyeon was able to sucker her way into a date tonight. He didn’t even consider it a date, but that’s what she referred to it as the whole way to the bar. 

Although something was telling him he should’ve went home instead, he’d be lying if he said her feisty attitude didn’t attract him. He wasn’t used to women being so upfront with him, so Taeyeon definitely intrigued him. 

“Are you going to buy something or are you just going to sit there and take up space?” 

Jonghyun’s train of thought was rudely interrupted by a voice coming from behind the bar. He looked up slowly to meet the eyes of an attractive male with dark brownish-blackish hair. The man wore a stone-cold expression, but that didn’t stop Jonghyun from noticing how pretty his eyes were, and don’t even get him started on those lips. 

But above all, what caught his attention the most was the sweet, but spicy scent of the person’s blood. It was very hard to describe, but the smell was so inviting. 

Jonghyun gulped as a coping mechanism once he felt his senses begin to heighten, causing his throat to dry out in want of something he couldn’t have. If his heart could beat, he was sure it’d be pounding right then. 

“Excuse me,” the man chimed, adding an arched brow this time. “Did you not hear me?”

Jonghyun cleared his throat. “Sorry. I’m just waiting for a friend.”

“Well, can you wait somewhere else? These seats are for paying customers, and as you can see, bar seats are limited. So, are you going to buy something or not?”

Jonghyun scrunched his brows at the guy’s response. For such a handsome guy, his attitude was surely off-putting. “Is that any way to make a tip, mister-” he trailed off to look at the man’s name tag, “Kibum?”

He sighed. “It may not get me tips, but it keeps business running and gets my boss off my ass. Now, do I have to ask again?”

Jonghyun waived him off and pulled out his wallet, handing over a few bills. “I’ll have a bottle of water.”

Kibum quirked a brow. “You came to a bar just to drink water?”

Jonghyun smirked. “I’m a paying customer right?”

Satisfied with his answer, Kibum gave a slight smile. “Yes, indeed. One bottle of water coming up.” 

Jonghyun watched in great detail as the bartender retreated to the register before walking over the fridge to grab a water bottle. He noticed how delicate Kibum’s movements were, how soft and fluffy his hair looked as it bounced with each movement he made, how his frail figure conflicted with his combative personality. Just as Taeyeon intrigued him, Kibum was giving him the same feeling of wonder. 

He returned with Jonghyun’s water bottle and change. Just as he was about to hand him the money, Jonghyun quickly declined, smiling as he added, “Keep it as a tip.”

Kibum looked genuinely surprised, the first real emotion Jonghyun got to see from the man. “Umm, thank you.” 

Their gaze lasted a little longer than it should’ve, but before either of them could think about it, Taeyeon made her way over to Jonghyun excitedly stating, “Yay! You’re still here!” 

And like that, Kibum’s brief display of emotion was over and he was back to the stone-faced bartender Jonghyun was first introduced to. 

Jonghyun gave her his attention. “I’m a man of my word.”

She turned to Kibum, sliding her card across the table. “Vodka tonic.” Kibum wordlessly made her drink before leaving to attend to other customers. 

“Crap!” Taeyeon exclaimed as she took her phone out of her clutch. “I forgot to text my mom. Hold on a sec.” She sent a quick text before putting her phone back, smiling up at Jonghyun. “There. We won’t be bothered for the rest of the night.”

He wasn’t sure if that was a good thing or a bad thing. 

For the first half of the night, Jonghyun watched as Taeyeon drank and drank, getting bolder in her attempts to seduce him. Her attempts were ignored at first, not because he wasn’t interested, but because he was paranoid mostly about being surrounded by humans, and he didn’t want to hurt anyone. 

His restraints caused him to break out in a cold sweat as his body reacted negatively to his rejection of drinking blood. Luckily for him, Taeyeon thought nothing of it since it’s normal for people to sweat in clubs.

He wasn’t sure when, but at some point in the night, he decided to stop worrying and let loose. Jinki always told him the key to blending in was to do what normal people did, which included going out and not having to worry about wanting to drain half of the room. He decided to enjoy himself. He was confident in how far he’d come in not hurting a human, so one night of carelessness wouldn’t hurt anyone, right? 

He’d say you only live once, but he’s proven that to be a fallacy. 

Instead of inching away from Taeyeon as she attempted to get closer to him, he grabbed her hips, pulling her into him as she continued to sway her hips from side to side. Jonghyun’s newfound interest was definitely welcomed. 

Liking the attention, Taeyeon turned around with her back to his chest, placing her hand on the back of Jonghyun’s neck while backing her ass into his crotch. She threw her head back onto his shoulder as she continued to grind onto him at the beat of the song. 

At this angle, Jonghyun got a perfect glimpse at the vein sticking out the side of her neck. His senses heightened again, allowing him to hear her thunderous heartbeat drown out the sound of music. He had to close his eyes to get himself together, but boy was it hard. He knew he should’ve pulled away, but he was far too deep in the hole by that point. 

He dipped his head into her neck as she continued to grind onto him. He couldn’t believe he was getting turned on in the middle of a club right now, not even from her actions, but mostly from the smell of her blood combined with the fact that she was applying pressure to his crotch. 

His hard-on didn’t go unnoticed by Taeyeon. She turned around, leaning in to give him a kiss. Jonghyun in his right mind would have pulled away knowing that kissing leads to other things. However, at the moment, he’d lost his sense in what’s right and wrong. 

He met Taeyeon halfway with a kiss that had both of them reeling. It started off soft and slow, but soon ended up being a heated, sloppy tongue kiss. The bodies of others pressed up against them didn’t matter because all Jonghyun’s mind was set on in that moment was Taeyeon. 

When they pulled away from the kiss, she gave a smile saying, “Should we go back to your place?”

Jonghyun almost said yes but remembered Jinki would be there along with the Casper, as he liked to call Taemin. There was no way they’d have privacy. 

He shook his head no. “I have roommates.”

She hummed in thought. “I would go to my place, but my sister has a spare key. I wouldn’t want her walking in on anything,” she ended with a suggestive lip bite. 

Jonghyun’s mind was screaming no, but his body was overpowering any logic at the moment. He hovered over her lips. “So, what do you want to do?”

She whispered. “I’ve got some money for a hotel. Let’s go. Now.”

“Are you sure?”

She sighed as she pushed up onto him, leaving no room between them. “Jonghyun, I know you’re new here, but when a pretty girl offers you a night with her, don’t ruin the moment with questions.” She ended with a wink as she walked away. 

Jonghyun stood there dumbfounded, not knowing where she was going. 

She swiftly turned around after noticing Jonghyun wasn’t behind her. “That means follow me.”

Jonghyun quickly snapped out of it and followed her out the bar.   
—

It all happened so fast — the drive to the hotel, the removal of clothing, the kissing, the panting, the touching, the grinding, the moaning. They’d wasted no time getting under the sheets, getting lost in the moment for their own reasons. 

For Taeyeon, this was the first guy she’d slept with since breaking up with her cheating ex. It took quite a while for her to get over it, but she’s a new woman now that’s ready to start having fun again. It just so happened that part of her fun was hooking up with strangers. No biggie. 

For Jonghyun, this was first time he’d been this intimate with a human since leaving The Order. When he was with the clan, it was normal to have multiple humans at your service in the underground blood dens in the clan’s large estate. It was actually one of the first things he missed when he officially left the clan, but Jinki was there to help him get over it. Now, Jonghyun was on his own. 

Taeyeon gripped Jonghyun’s neck, crashing their lips onto each other as he grasped one of her breasts. They both moaned in pleasure with Taeyeon boldly grabbing Jonghyun’s cock in her hand. Although a slow buildup to the moment would’ve been nice, they both didn’t have time for foreplay. They were ready to do what they came there for, and they both knew it. 

“I’m ready,” Taeyeon moaned between kisses, guiding him to her wet opening. 

To be honest, Jonghyun was a little nervous when it came to this point. He’d done so well so far, who’s to say he couldn’t go any further than this? He knew he could. Plus, Taeyeon left him no room to think with how intimately close they were. 

Without a word, he slowly entered Taeyeon, letting out a pleasurable sigh at the foreign feeling of the warm, wet canal that gave him pleasure at the slightest movement. He barely had time to collect himself as Taeyeon began to grind up into him to feel more pleasure herself. 

Jonghyun had to close it eyes and clench his fists in an effort not to roughly grab her wrists, which would probably break due to how strong he was. Her heartbeat was pounding loudly into his ears and the smell of her blood was causing his vision to go blurry. He knew what was coming next, something he always tried to avoid. 

Blood lust. 

It’s the vampiric state of mind that often clouds judgment, leaving the vampire to only think about blood, which could eventually lead to a frenzy. It caused blurred vision, heightened senses, and a feeling a euphoria. It usually happened when a vampire drank too much blood, leading them to the feeling of intoxication. 

However, Jonghyun’s craving for blood combined with the pleasure of sex was causing his body to imitate the euphoric feeling, which wasn’t a good thing because it could cause his cravings to intensify, causing him not to have control over what his body did next. 

In shorter words, Taeyeon was in danger, but Jonghyun was determined not to hurt her.

“You don’t have to be so gentle,” he heard her whisper-moan, causing him to open his eyes to look at her. “Were your eyes always that dark? Because they look so sexy.”

Jonghyun turned away to avoid eye contact. Dark eyes were also a sign of his inner vampire trying to come out. 

She stopped moving and placed a hand on his cheek, forcing him to look at her. “Jonghyun, I appreciate you worrying so much about me, but I’m a big girl. And just so we won’t be confused, I’ll say it clearly. I want you to fuck me.” His fangs almost protruded from temptation. 

He grabbed her hips with both of his hands to have total control before slowly rolling into her. They both moaned in pleasure and Jonghyun picked up speed, no longer able to keep his composure. He didn’t want to hurt her, but his lust was driving him crazy. 

He continued to pound into her without a break, her breasts moving with each stroke. He’d gone so long without sex, he almost forgot how amazing it felt. Taeyeon’s whiney moans only turned him on more as he showed no signs of slowing down. 

It didn’t take long for him to reach his peak. By that point, he gave up being careful. He gave up holding back. He even gave up thinking about the consequences. All he cared about was reaching his orgasm the best way he knew how. 

As he continued to pound into Taeyeon, he dipped his head into her neck, grunting repeatedly as he felt himself about to cum. A small part of him, the only rational part that was left, was telling him to pull away now before it was too late, before he did something he might regret. 

Too bad he didn’t listen. 

Just a second before he came, his fangs fully protruded, his eyes turned completely black, and he sank his teeth deeply into Taeyeon’s neck right onto her main artery. 

He was so full of adrenaline and pleasure, that he naturally drowned out the sound of Taeyeon’s agonizing scream. All he could focus on was the sweet, thick, warm nectar that traveled down his throat, satisfying his cravings better than any blood bag or animal could. In that moment, all that mattered was drinking until his thirst was gone. 

He moaned in pleasure and euphoria as the familiar feeling of fulfillment washed over him, and for a split second, what he did seemed ok. 

Only for a split second. 

As he came down from the aftershocks of his orgasm, the reality of the situation began to slowly sink in, especially once he noticed that Taeyeon’s movements halted. 

He slowly pulled out of her while simultaneously retracting his teeth from her neck. 

“Oh, no,” he whispered in shock once he saw the lifeless look in her eyes. “Taeyeon?” He shook her shoulder in hopes that she’d wake up. “Taeyeon. Come on. Wake up!”

And just like that, he was back to rational Jonghyun. It didn’t matter that there was still blood left in Taeyeon that he hadn’t finish. He didn’t want it. He wanted her to be alive, to keep his promise of not killing humans. She had to be alive. She was just sleeping, right?

Of course, Jonghyun knew he was wrong, but he was in denial. There’s no way that after a year of quitting human blood that he’d relapsed in the most horrible way. Not only did he drink from her, but he possibly killed her. Just the thought of it scared him. She couldn’t die. He didn’t want her to die. 

He quickly sprang into action by moving her onto the floor and giving CPR. He frantically counted out the compressions in his head as he hoped for a miracle to happen. “Come on, Taeyeon. Don’t die on me. I’m so sorry, but please don’t die on me. Come on!” He compressions grew more and more desperate as he realized he wasn’t making any progress. 

He pressed deeper into her chest, hoping it would kickstart her heart, but he was met with the same result. After doing this for about 30 minutes, realization began to sink in. 

He dropped his head down in defeat as tears welled up in his eyes. He looked up and slowly closed her eyes before whispering, “I’m so sorry. You didn’t deserve this.”

She truly didn’t. She was a beautiful girl with a bright future ahead of her, a family that loved her, and friends that adored her. Jonghyun didn’t know a whole lot about Taeyeon, but he knew in that moment that he was a monster. He made a big mistake that couldn’t be undone. 

He carefully placed her back onto the bed to get her delicate body off the hard floor. 

He sat back and looked at the damage, letting it all sink in — the blood-stained sheets, the deep gashes in Taeyeon’s neck, the lifeless body that was once breathing. He’d ruined everything. It was all his fault, and he’d regret this for the rest of his life. 

He slowly got off the bed, staring down at his bloody hands which were painful reminders of what’d just happened. He looked over at the bed still in shock at how beautiful Taeyeon was. Even in such a traumatic situation, she still managed to look captivating. It only made him feel worse. 

To show his final respect, Jonghyun grabbed the white blanket on the bed and slowly pulled it up until it covered her whole body. He broke down, sinking onto the floor as reality kicked in. 

He couldn’t believe he’d gotten himself into such a sticky situation. A situation he couldn’t get out of by himself. A situation that called for connections. A situation that would make him drop the little pride he had left. He had to make an important phone call. 

A call he’d probably regret.   
—

Five Hours Later. 

The guilt was eating him alive, and going home didn’t make anything better. Just seeing the news that morning with Taeyeon’s beautiful face plastered all over it made Jonghyun want to crawl into a hole. Hearing the desperate cry of her mom and seeing the sadness in her family’s eyes definitely put everything into perspective. 

He knew he had no right to cry or feel sorrow when he was the reason Taeyeon was missing in the first place. But in the short time he’d known her, he grew attached to her. He actually missed her. 

He missed the sassy attitude, her pretty smile, her soft hair, her beautiful voice, her cute facial expressions, etc. Maybe he’d have more things to miss if he allowed her to live longer than she had. Out of all of his victims he’d kill, this was one that would continue to haunt him, and he wasn’t sure how he could live on with the situation. 

What made everything worse was the fact that he couldn’t tell Jinki anything. That was a huge no-no. Not only did he break the number one promise he’d made to Jinki once they left the clan, but he actually contacted the clan, something they both swore to never do no matter how bad things got. 

Jonghyun really didn’t want to call his former leader, but he felt he had no choice. With the endless connections and money to bribe and keep things quiet, Keun-Suk and his men were the only people that could make this whole situation disappear and clear Jonghyun’s name of any attachment to what happened. 

If he’d tried to do it on his own, he knew he would get caught and that was a situation he wanted to avoid. 

It was still a shame the he couldn’t tell Jinki anything. He always knew what to do. However, Jonghyun was determined on keeping this a secret. Whatever Jinki didn’t know wouldn’t hurt him. 

After going home to change clothes, abruptly leaving because Taemin was annoying him, Jonghyun went on a long walk. He didn’t really pay attention to where he was going, but he didn’t care. Walking without a destination in mind helped a little in clearing his head, but it didn’t help with forgetting. 

Only certain clan members were gifted with the ability to erase memories, Jinki being one of them. But of course, Jonghyun couldn’t ask Jinki to do that because that would require him to tell him what’d happened that night, and Jonghyun would be quick to admit he’s a coward. He’d rather be haunted with the memory of what he’d done instead of asking for Jinki’s help. 

It wasn’t an option. 

To make his guilt worse, Jonghyun had to pass by Taeyeon’s house on the way out the neighborhood. As he approached the house, he saw that the driveway was packed with cars. Through the windows, he could see multiple people in the house weeping in sorrow. 

He adverted his attention and briskly walked past the house to run away from the problem he’d caused. It was just a reminder that the universe wasn’t going to let him forget this easily. 

After hours of walking aimlessly throughout the town, he finally halted his steps once he’d realized where he subconsciously led himself. 

It was the bar. The place that was the catalyst of the events that previously took place. If he’d known that the bar would’ve been her last experience of living life, he would’ve made that night more special for her — or rather, he would have never gone out with her in the first place, so she’d still be alive. 

He let out a sigh as he looked up at the bar’s logo. He couldn’t believe he was back where it all started. Almost 12 hours ago, Taeyeon was still breathing. Now, she was a lifeless corpse that fell victim to Jonghyun’s cravings. 

Before he could stop himself, he walked inside, taking a seat at the bar top. The place actually looked better in the daytime — more spacious, brighter, cleaner, no sloppy drunks around to ruin your time. It was somewhat peaceful, and peace was what he needed as he took the time to reflect on his actions. 

Sadly, his moment of peace was quickly interrupted after hearing someone off to the side chuckle before saying, “You’re a day drinker too?”

Jonghyun looked over to see that it was non-other than the handsome bartender he’d met last night, Kibum. 

Although he was surprised that the young man was working so early in the morning after probably working late last night, Jonghyun didn’t give it much thought, his own thoughts still clouded. He gave a distant reply, “Yeah, I guess.”

Kibum just came from his manager’s office when he’d noticed the lone vampire sitting at the bar with a solemn expression on his face. It was a big difference from the confident grin he’d seen the man sporting the previous night. Then, a thought quickly came to mind that probably explained the man’s shift in mood. 

“I’m sorry about your friend,” Kibum said earnestly as he walked behind the bartending station. 

When Jonghyun looked up in confusion. Kibum wanted to slap himself for being so insensitive about it when the man was obviously still affected by it. 

He tried again. “That girl you came here with last night. Taeyeon? I saw that she’s missing, and I’m guessing you’ve heard about it since it’s been all over the local news this morning. You look stressed, so I’m offering my words of condolence.”

Jonghyun wasn’t sure how to answer him, especially since he was the very reason Taeyeon was missing in the first place. But Kibum’s attempt at being nice was comforting, especially since he was expecting to be met with a stone-faced Kibum. 

“Thank you. I appreciate it. I just found out about it a couple of hours ago and I’m not sure how to react.”

Kibum nodded. “That’s understandable. I don’t think I’d know how to react either. I was a wreck after my dog ran away. I can’t imagine losing a friend. But don’t stress too much about it, ok? You’ve got to have hope that they’ll find her.”

Yeah. Find her somewhere in a ditch, Jonghyun thought. 

“Would you like something to drink?” Kibum offered, giving Jonghyun a genuinely concerned look. 

“I’ll take a Sprite.”

“Good call.”

“What? No snarky remark about why I’d come to a bar just to buy Sprite?”

“No, because I’m relieved to know you’re not actually a day drinker.” He went into the fridge and pulled out a can of Sprite, pouring it into a clear glass with ice. “Here you go.”

He slid the drink over the Jonghyun who received it with a straight face. “Thank you.” 

He looked at the glass wishing he would’ve asked for water because now he’d have to pretend the taste of Sprite didn’t repulse him. Although his taste buds still worked —barely — certain foods and drinks gave off a weird taste. Regular food tasted bland, nothing as close to the savory taste of human blood, but it was doable. 

Drinks like water or juice were also doable, but carbonated drinks like soda were repulsive, and he didn’t really know why. Jinki hypothesized that it was because of the carbonation and strong acidity. It took away from the already bland taste vampires experienced. However, a Sprite was the first thing that popped into Jonghyun’s mind, so he went with it. 

“I’ll leave you to your thoughts,” Kibum snapped Jonghyun out of his thoughts as he walked over to a table, wiping it down with a wet rag. 

“But I didn’t pay for my drink.”

After spraying some cleaning spray on the next table, Kibum turned around stating, “You don’t have to. It’s on the house. No worries.” Then he turned back around to return to cleaning. 

Jonghyun sat there not really knowing what to do. This was a totally different Kibum from the one he met last night. He was being kind and considerate, which made sense considering the circumstances. Maybe this guy wasn’t as mean as he thought he was. 

Kibum’s blood was still inviting, so inviting that Jonghyun couldn’t ignore it, but thanks to the tragic event that happened the night before, his cravings had subsided — all at the expense of an innocent person’s life.   
—

Jonghyun ended up spending the whole day there, which was a surprise to him. He only expected to be there for a short while. 

That was until Kibum decided to put him to work. 

Jonghyun was still sitting at the bar, sulking about Taeyeon when he noticed Kibum struggling to pick up a heavy box. He huffed in frustration, crossing his arms and snidely stated, “Well, if you’re going to be here all day, the least you can do is help.”

Jonghyun raised his brows in surprise when he realized Kibum was talking to him. It was still early in the day, and only two customers came in and left, while Jonghyun remained there. 

He let out an amused sigh and walked behind the bar to the box Kibum was having a hard to with. 

To Kibum’s surprise, Jonghyun lifted the box effortlessly on his first attempt. He knew he wasn’t as strong as the average male, but that box was filled with heavy drinking glasses, so Jonghyun should’ve at least grunted a little when he moved the box. Was the guy on steroids or something?

“Where do you want me to put it?” Jonghyun asked as he held the box without an issue. 

Kibum glanced at the man’s biceps before clearing his throat. “Um, just put it on the counter. You can help me restock the drinking glasses.”

Jonghyun frowned, “How would your boss feel knowing you’re putting your customers to work?”

Kibum scoffed as he cut the box open. “Oh, please. Like he cares. This place just opened, and he’s already a shit boss. I barely see him myself. He doesn’t care about what happens out here as long as the bar makes money.”

“He must trust you a lot though if he leaves you up here alone most of the time.”

Kibum shrugged. “I don’t know. All he knows is that we make the most money when I’m bartending, so that’s the only reason he likes me, I think.”

“Is that why you’re working so early even though I just saw you last night?”

Kibum took out a few glasses from the box before wiping them down and handing them to Jonghyun for him to stack. “Yeah. He promised me the night off if I agreed to work last night’s shift and this morning’s shift. Someone else will come this evening.”

“You’re not tired?”

“A little. I mean, I got a good three hours of sleep in before coming back. It’s enough for me to get through the day shift. At least I’ll have the night off.”

Jonghyun’s been a vampire for hundreds of years and didn’t need to rely on sleep anymore, but even he knew three hours of sleep wasn’t a good thing for a human. If you asked him, he’d say Kibum’s a trooper. 

He continued. “I really wouldn’t have minded working tonight though if I had to.”

Jonghyun scrunched his brows. “You don’t sleep much do you?”

“I usually do. I’m a bartender after all. Sleep all day, bartend all night. I’ve grown used to the schedule. Staying up all night is not so bad once you get used to it.”

“Tell me about it,” Jonghyun said sarcastically. He was the king of staying up all night. It was in his nature. 

Talking to Kibum was proving to be a good distraction, even if it was only for a few hours. He could never forgive himself for what he did to Taeyeon, but for now, Jonghyun was okay with taking his mind off of the depressing topic. 

“Enough about me. What about you-” he trailed off then gasped. “I just realized that I don’t even know your name.”

Jonghyun let out a small laugh, genuinely entertained that Kibum had gone this long without asking for his name. “I’m Jonghyun, thanks for asking. I surely didn’t forget your name, Kibum.”

Kibum rolled his eyes. “You cheated. I have my name tag on today, so you’ve been reminded of my name the whole time. Anyway, tell me about yourself. You know. What do you do? Where are you from? The typical boring stuff you ask people you just meet.”

Jonghyun groaned internally. He hated questions like these because he gave a different answer every time. It’s not like he could tell Kibum he was a relapsed vampire living with another vampire and a ghost. No, that’d just be silly. 

At least Jinki could be honest with people and say he’s a doctor. Jonghyun had to struggle to come up with a story that was believable. 

He shrugged as he stacked another glass. “I’m no one special. My life’s pretty boring.”

“You’re not doing anything significant? You’re not a student? Or a writer? Or a mechanic? Something?”

“Try unemployed.”

Kibum immediately backed off. “I’m sorry. I didn’t know-”

“It’s ok. I’m not struggling or anything. I’m not even stressing. Just living life trying to stay out of trouble.” And failing. 

Kibum nodded. “I get that. If you ever need a job though, I’m sure I can talk to my boss. As you’ve demonstrated, you’re pretty strong. We could use some muscle around here when people get rowdy.”

As flattered as Jonghyun was, he knew that was a bad idea. He needed to stay as far away from this place, especially because everything reminded him of Taeyeon. 

He shook his head no. “It’s ok. Working at a bar is probably not the best idea for me. It’ll be easy for me to get — distracted.” Distracted as in the overwhelming scent of blood would drive him insane. 

“Distracted as in too many beautiful people?” Kibum asked, confident in his answer. 

Jonghyun nodded, deciding to go with it. “Exactly. I wouldn’t be able to focus.”

Kibum nodded. “I hear ya.”

“Ok, I’m sick of talking about myself now. What about you, Mr. Kibum? What’s your life like?” 

Although, Jonghyun was looking for any excuse to take the attention off of himself, he was genuinely curious in Kibum. The guy had a sort of mystery to him that attracted him. But he knew he couldn’t get too close. He wouldn’t. He didn’t want to have another slip up. 

Kibum sighed. “You want the honest truth?”

Jonghyun nodded. “It’s preferred.”

“Oh, it’s nothing really. Just your typical college dropout that’s a disgrace to his family because he chose bartending over books. And here’s the kicker. I’m a gay 26-year old adult whose parents keep pressuring him to find a nice girl to marry because he hasn’t had the balls to come out to them yet. But that’s about it. Nothing interesting really.”

Jonghyun wasn’t sure what he was more stunned about. The fact that Kibum actually revealed all of that about himself, or the fact that he wasn’t as one-dimensional as Jonghyun thought. There was obviously more to the guy behind his usually stone-cold face. 

“Wow.” That was the first thing that came to mind. 

“Yes. Wow. That’s one of the reasons why I like bartending. It keeps me away from my family since I still live with them. I’m working on getting my own place soon. I can’t stay there any longer knowing I’m living a lie. Even if they did know my secret, it’s not like our relationship would get any better.” He sighed. “It’s complicated.”

“Life’s complicated.”

“Right. But bartending has always been there for me when I needed it. Since my parents work all day, by the time they get home, I’m already on my way out the door to go to the bar. It’s a perfect balance. I get to meet interesting people all night while doing what I love. Not many people get it, but bartending is truly an art form.”

Jonghyun nodded. “I agree. You have to remember so many drink combinations and the right measurements. That takes more talent than crunching numbers all day if you ask me.”

Kibum smiled. “Yeah. Well, tell that to my parents. They’d have a fit. They’re still trying to get me to reconsider college, but I made up my mind years ago when I dropped out sophomore year.”

Jonghyun couldn’t help but admire Kibum’s drive. “That’s good for you. It’s a lot of people out there who let their parents dictate their lives. It’s pretty badass that you’re doing what you want.”

“If you say so. I’m not badass enough to be upfront about my sexuality though. Fuck. If it weren’t for my stupid ex, I wouldn’t even be in this mess.”

Jonghyun quirked an eyebrow “What happened with your ex?”

“I used to live with him, but our relationship was so toxic, I couldn’t handle being with him any longer. So, I left, but the only place I had left to go was my parents’ house. I hadn’t saved up enough money from bartending at the time, so I literally had no other options. Now, I’m currently living with my parents pretending to be the straight son they’ve always wanted. You must think I’m so stupid.”

Jonghyun looked down after stacking the final glass. “I have no room to judge. If you knew what type of life I lived, your life would seem like a walk in the park.”

Kibum looked over at him in concern. “What do you mean?”

Before Jonghyun could answer, his phone rang. He picked up his phone, it revealing the one person he both wanted and didn’t want to hear from. 

“Keun-Suk.”

“It’s done.”

Jonghyun let out a sigh of relief. “Thank you.”

“It’s always a pleasure to lend a helping hand, fledgling.” 

Jonghyun hated when he called him that. It made him feel like a piece of property that The Order owned rather than a free vampire. That within itself made him realize what he had to do. He couldn’t let Keun-Suk or any other Order member think they had control over him. He had to put an end to everything before it could begin. 

“Let’s me tonight, so I can properly thank you.”

Jonghyun could basically hear the other man’s grin. “Sounds lovely. See you then.”

Jonghyun hung up and placed his phone in his pocket before addressing Kibum. “I’m sorry, but I’ve got to go. Something just came up.”

Kibum looked a little disappointed, but quickly shook it off. “It’s fine. You’ve been here long enough anyway. Thank you for the help me.”

“You’re welcome,” he said as he backed up out of the bar station. “Make sure to get some sleep when you get home.”

Kibum almost smiled at his concern. He nodded and Jonghyun turned to walk out the door. Before he could leave, Kibum quickly shouted “Will I see you again?” 

Jonghyun paused before answering without sparing a glance. “I don’t know.”  
—

“So, how long have you two known each other?”

Taemin and Jinki looked at each other, both hoping the other one would come up with an answer first. They’d been talking to Minho for about 30 minutes, and so far, it had been pretty nerve-wracking. If Jinki had given Taemin a bit of a heads up on their new house guest, maybe he would’ve thought of some believable lies by now. 

They simultaneously answered with Jinki stating, “Four years,” and Taemin stating, “A couple of months.”

Minho looked on in confusion causing Jinki to clarify. “I mean we knew of each other for four years, but didn’t really become friends until a couple of months ago.” 

Taemin nodded his head in agreement, mentally sighing in relief. 

“Oh, ok,” Minho said before looking over at Taemin. “You look kind of familiar. Do I know you?”

Taemin quickly shook his head no, even though he and Minho probably did cross paths before since it’s such a small town. “I don’t think so. I just moved here with Jinki. I’ve never been in this town before. Nope. Never in my life.”

If he could sweat, he’d be drenched right now. 

“Oh? I must be confusing you with someone else then.”

Taemin placed a hand on the back of his neck, letting out a forced laugh. “Yeah, maybe.”

Jinki gave Taemin a quick look to tell him to stop talking. The more he talked, the less believable he sounded. 

Thankfully, Minho didn’t seem to catch on. “So, how did you two meet?”

“How did me meet?” Taemin repeated the question cluelessly, stalling to think of an answer. “Umm.” Thankfully, Jinki saved the day. 

“I was a friend of the family. Our moms were good friends, and I used to come over for dinner all the time. A couple of months ago, Taemin and I got closer and he asked if we could move in together. Something about wanting independence. Of course, I said yes because who could say no to that sweet little face of his.” 

Taemin batted his eyes to add onto his charm. 

Minho chuckled in amusement, mentally agreeing that Taemin surely did have a cute face. “It seems like it all worked out,” he commented as he looked around the living room. “I love what you guys have done with the place. It’s very cozy.”

“Thank you,” both Jinki and Taemin answered. Jinki continued, “That’s the look I was going for-”

Taemin corrected, “We were going for.”

“Right,” said Jinki. “Feel free to make yourself at home.”

Minho grinned, “Don’t mind if I do,” and he immediately got up and headed to the kitchen. 

Taemin and Jinki followed quickly behind him, slightly panicking wondering what Minho was up to. 

“I’m starving.” Minho walked over to the fridge, opening it with a sigh of relief, before frowning upon seeing an empty fridge. “Where are your groceries?”

Jinki let out a nervous chuckle at the door frame of the kitchen. “Um, we haven’t went shopping yet. We’ve only officially moved in yesterday.”

“Yeah,” Taemin chimed. “We’ve been ordering take-out for survival.”

“Sorry about that,” Jinki apologized. “If I’d known you were hungry, we could’ve stopped somewhere before coming here.”

Minho shrugged it off. “It’s fine. I’ll just order pizza. What type do you like, Taemin?”

Taemin stuttered. “Um, I actually don’t want any. I’m not really hungry.”

“Are you sure? I don’t want you trying to steal a slice once it’s here.”

Taemin snickered. “Trust me. You won’t have to worry about that.” If he could, he would. Pizza used to be his favorite. 

Minho walked past them back into the living room, sitting on the couch. He pulled out his phone to look up nearby pizza places. “What about you, Jinki?”

Jinki sat next to Minho, respectfully declining. “No, it’s alright. I’m not hungry.”

Minho looked up from his phone in concern. “Are you sure about that? For lunch, I only seen you with a water bottle and pudding. That doesn’t seem very appetizing if you ask me.”

“I’m fine, Minho,” Jinki reassured. 

“Tell us about yourself, Minho,” Taemin said in a desperate attempt to take the focus off of them. 

Jinki noticed Minho hesitate as if he didn’t want to say the wrong thing. As suspicious as it was, it made Jinki wonder about Minho’s scent. He was starting to think he figured out what the smell was tied to, and if his predictions were true, Minho just became that much more interesting. 

“I’m really not that interesting-”

“You can be honest with us,” Jinki said in an attempt for Minho to be comfortable, and hopefully confirm his suspicion. 

Minho cleared his throat, answering, “I’m just an average person. I played soccer all my life, got a full ride to nursing school, and now I work at the hospital-”

“Boring!” Taemin faked a yawn. “We want the real scoop. Not some cookie-cutter answer.”

Jinki groaned, placing his head in his hands. Sometimes he forgot just how much of a kid Taemin really was. “Taemin, you can’t say things like that to people.”

He rolled his eyes before mumbling. “You were thinking it too.”

Minho sighed, grabbing both of their attention. “It’s ok. I’m sorry I’m not interesting enough, but I’m being honest-”

“Minho,” Jinki said in a calm tone. “You said you wanted us to be friends, right? Well, friends are honest with each other. You don’t have to be so afraid.”

Minho sighed, looking down at his hands. “I mean, if you really want to know the honest truth —,” he couldn’t believe he was about to say this, “I hate myself.”

There were a few moments of awkward silence before Taemin commented, “Well, that got dark.”

Jinki decided to ignore him and address Minho. “You hate yourself? What do you mean? Why do you feel that way?”

Minho shrugged. “It’s nothing-”

“No, tell me. I won’t judge you.” Jinki really hoped this had something to do with Minho’s scent. The longer he sat by him, the more familiar the scent became. 

Minho ran a hand through his hair before answering. “I just miss my family — my mom, my dad, my sister, my fiancé.”

Taemin answered nonchalantly. “Why don’t you just go back and visit them? I mean you don’t have to hate yourself for missing your family. It’s a natural thing.” To him, this guy was being a bit dramatic. 

“It’s not that simple. I ran away from them, to protect them.”

Jinki’s brows scrunched. “Protect them from what?” 

Minho waited awhile before answering. “From myself. From this curse that eats away at me every single day.”

The engines in Jinki’s head were churning faster, quickly trying to connect the dots. Running away to protect his family. A curse. The scent. His ability to see Taemin. It had to be. 

Taemin, on the other hand, thought this guy was nuts. “A curse? Omg! Are you into, like, witchcraft or something?”

Before Minho could answer, Jinki slowly asked, “And by curse, you mean....” He trailed off in an attempt to prompt Minho into saying what he had already confirmed, to see if Minho would say it himself.

Minho leaned back into the couch. “You wouldn’t understand.”

“Try me.”

He stared into Jinki’s eyes wordlessly. For a moment, it seemed like he was going to open up. There was a tiny spark of hope in his eye that Jinki didn’t miss. However, he got up from the couch stating, “I need to go-”

“You’re a werewolf. Aren’t you?”

Minho paused his movements after Jinki’s accusation. 

He’d finally figured it out. Minho’s scent was something purely distinct. Any vampire would be able to recognize it. It only took him awhile to recall the smell because he hadn’t been around werewolves in decades, mostly due to his former clan’s biased rules. The Order wasn’t particularly fond of them, so any interaction with them wasn’t allowed, unless it was to kill them. 

Taemin’s eyes widen. “Wait, Wait, Wait. You’re telling me werewolves are real too?!”

Much to Taemin’s disappointment, no one answered him. Minho slowly sat down, facing Jinki. He was truly stunned and wondered if he should deny the claim, or confess. As much as he wanted to freak out and ditch, something was calming him, and he didn’t know what or why. But the look in Jinki’s eyes told him that he was to be trusted and everything was going to be ok. 

“How?” Minho asked, trying to make sense of the situation. 

“Your scent.”

“My scent? What? Are you gonna say you’re a werewolf too?”

Jinki shook his head no. He wasn’t sure if it was smart to be exposing himself right now, but a part of him told him that he had to. He wanted Minho to know that he wasn’t the only abnormal person in this town. 

“I’m a vampire.” Jinki protruded his fangs as proof. Minho almost got up to leave again, but Jinki stopped him by saying, “I won’t hurt you.”

“How am I supposed to know that? I’ve ran into vampires before who’ve wanted to rip my neck off. What makes you so different?”

“I’m not like the rest of the vampires out there.”

He scoffed. “You expect me to believe that? I’ve been fucked over by vampires in the past. I almost lost my life to one a couple of years ago. I’ve been fooled once. I won’t be fooled again-”

“I’m not here to fool you-”

“That’s why you invited me over here isn’t it? You wanted me to fall into your trap just for me to end up as target practice.”

Jinki exhaled calmly. He understood Minho’s caution, but he was describing every vampire Jinki fought against being like. “That’s not why I invited you. I didn’t even know you were a werewolf until just now. I’m not here to harm you.”

Minho stood in silence, letting everything sink in. “So now what?”

Jinki stood up slowly walking towards him. “If you’d allow me, I want to help you. You talk about hating yourself. You refer to your werewolf as a curse. I want to help you cope with yourself-”

“There is no coping with this! No matter how hard I’ve tried to adapt and act normal, the beast always wins. It’s not possible-”

“But it is-”

“How do you know? How could you, a vampire, possibly know what I’m going through?”

Jinki gave a small smile. “I’ve been on this earth a very long time, and I’ve made a lot of friends — wolf friends. I’ve learned a few tricks. Trust me, Minho. It’s possible to live with the wolf, and I’m willing to help you get there.”

Minho stared silently in front of him. This was certainly not how he planned for his evening to go. Here he was worried about hurting Jinki, because the last time he was in a neighborhood, he’d accidentally killed someone. He didn’t want to go through that type of trauma again, but right now, that was the least of his worries. 

He still wasn’t sure if he could trust Jinki. Every vampire he’d run into in the past were sneaky, conniving, evil, selfish monsters that were only concerned with blood. They had no remorse for the lives of others, and certainly not for the lives of werewolves. 

However, he couldn’t shake the feeling of wanting to feel like he belonged somewhere. For three years he’d been suffering in silence, not able to find people who’d understand what he’d been going through. He wondered for so long if he’d ever find people like him, even if those people weren’t werewolves. 

Now, Jinki comes along claiming to be something other than a human, while also claiming that he could help Minho out with his wolf. It was quite bizarre, but for some reason, he wanted to believe him. 

He slowly turned around, facing Jinki before asking, “Why are you being so nice to me? First of all, I’m a stranger. Second of all, I’m a werewolf, but you don’t seem to mind.”

Jinki smiled kindly, “That’s because I know a good person when I see one.”

Minho scoffed. “What makes you think I’m such a good person? I’ve done some really terrible things in life.”

Jinki placed a comforting hand on Minho’s shoulder. “Haven’t we all? As cliché as it sounds, I can see in your eyes that you’re a good person. I’ve met werewolves with no conscience. I’ve met werewolves who let the wolf take over all humanity that’s left in them. But when I look at you, I see a human in desperation of trying not to let the wolf take over. I want to help you learn how to cope with your wolf instead of hating it and yourself.”

“I’d much rather find a cure than cope.”

“And I could help you with that too, but in the meantime, it’s best to learn how to maintain it than it is not to. Right?”

Minho shrugged. “I don’t know.”

Jinki let out a sigh. “Listen. I don’t want to force you into anything, but just know that I’m here to help. And the basement’s open if you want a room to sleep in.”

Minho scrunched his brows and shook his head. “No, I don’t know if that’s a good idea-”

“It’s fine, Minho. I’d rather you be here than out there alone in the woods. It worries me. Besides, this house is meant to be a safe haven. It’s a place where we don’t have to hide what we truly are, and we can find our own versions of normal. It’d be nice to have an extra face around here.”

Their conversation was interrupted by Taemin clearing his throat obnoxiously. “Umm, excuse me. I know you’re alive and all, but you can’t just invite anyone to stay in my house without my permission.”

Minho asked, “Your house? I thought you both were renting.”

“We lied-.”

“Wait,” Minho held up his hand to stop him. “Are you a vampire too?”’

Taemin rolled his eyes. “No, I’m dead.”

Minho wasn’t sure whether the boy was joking or not. He asked Jinki “Is he serious?”

Jinki nodded. “Sadly, yes.”

Taemin continued. “I died here. So, I’m technically a ghost, spirit, whatever you want to call it.”

Minho’s eyes widened in realization. “That’s how I know you. I went to your vigil.”

Taemin raised his brows in surprise. “I had a vigil?”

Minho nodded. “Lee Taemin, right?”

“Yeah,” Taemin answered halfheartedly, still in shock that people cared enough to hold a vigil in his memory. 

“I’m sorry,” Minho said solemnly. “For what happened.”

Taemin perked. “Did they say how I died?”

Minho shook his head no. “It wasn’t mentioned, but I heard around that you were found at the end of the stairs.” Minho suddenly got the chills realizing that he was actually talking to a dead person. “So, I’m guessing you’re not really a germaphobe.”

Taemin smiled slightly. “Bingo. I was actually the grossest out of my brother and I. At least I died in my pajamas so I can slouch all I want.”

Minho looked at Jinki, not sure if it was appropriate to laugh at Taemin’s comment. Jinki confirmed, “Yeah, he has a pretty dark sense of humor.”

Taemin shrugged. “It’s how I get by. Anyway, Minho seems cool. I’ll agree to let him stay as long as he promises not to be an ass like Jonghyun.”

“Jonghyun?” Minho questioned. 

Jinki clarified. “He’s actually the roommate I told you about.”

“Oh. And is he, like, a warlock or something?”

Taemin burst out laughing. “He may as well be with his attitude.”

“No,” Jinki answered. “He’s a vampire as well.”

“Great,” Minho said sarcastically. “A werewolf in a house with two vampires. What could possible go wrong?”

Taemin piped in. “Don’t worry, Minho. I won’t let them gang up on you. It’ll be me and you versus them. We’d easily have an advantage because you can’t kill a ghost!”

Jinki groaned in embarrassment. “Don’t listen to him. Anyway, you wouldn’t have to worry about Jonghyun. He wants to live a normal life as well. That’s why we both decided to move in together. You’ll be accepted here, Minho.”

Minho closed his eyes, feeling a headache coming on. “This is a lot to take in. My coworker’s a vampire with a ghost as a roommate.”

“I prefer spirit,” said Taemin. Minho immediately started apologizing, making Taemin like him even more. “I’m just kidding. Wow, you really are nice. I definitely wouldn’t mind having you around here.”

“See?” Said Jinki in an attempt to convince Minho. “You’re already getting along with us. So, what do you say?”

As tempting as the offer sounded, Minho still had to think about it. He wasn’t used to having others around, and even though he often wanted to have people to talk to, he wasn’t sure if it would’ve been the best thing to start including people in his life, his real life. 

“I’ll think about it.”

Jinki nodded. “Fair enough.”

At that moment, Jinki’s cell phone rang revealing an unknown caller ID. He decided to answer it just in case it was an emergency. However, who he heard on the other line was a voice he’d never expected to hear again. 

“Welcome back to the clan, Jinki. I knew you’d come back when you realized where you belonged.”

Jinki’s brow furrowed and he changed his tone to a serious one, hoping he wasn’t talking to who he thought. “Who’s this?”

The man on the other like chuckled. “It’s been a whole year and you’re telling me you already forgot my voice? Oh, Jinki, I’m offended. But I’m glad to know you’re interested in returning- “

“What? I’m not returning. I told you I’m never coming back and to never contact me, so I don’t know where you’re getting this from, Keun-Suk.”

“Oh? Well your partner seems to be making a return. I just assumed you’d be making the move with him.”

Jinki was very confused. Nothing was making sense. “What are you talking about?”

Keun-Suk avoided the question with a chuckle before stating, “Taeyeon was a pretty one. I must admit, Jonghyun has good taste. My favorite little fledgling must have learned from me. Too bad he let her go to waste.”

It took everything in Jinki not to freak out. As much as he wanted to shout and ask Keun-Suk if he was lying, he knew how cunning the clan could be. It could be an attempt to get into Jinki’s head or even drive a wedge between him and Jonghyun, especially due to Keun-Suk’s weird obsession with Jonghyun. Whatever the case may be, Jinki would figure it out himself because The Order was not to be trusted. 

Jinki replied sharply. “Look. Neither of us are coming back — ever. Don’t call me again.” 

He quickly hung up the phone, blocking the number while wondering when Jonghyun would be back.

How would Jonghyun have anything to do with Taeyeon? They’d just moved into the neighborhood, and as far as Jinki knew, Jonghyun hadn’t know the woman previously. He refused to believe that Jonghyun was able to do something so horrible within one day of moving to the new city. 

They needed to have a serious talk.   
—

11:27 PM

Jonghyun slowly opened the front door to the house, hoping not to alert anyone with his presence. 

It’s not like he wanted to sneak in, but he wasn’t in the mood to talk to anyone. Not after his conversation with Keun-Suk. He just wanted to go in his room and cry all night about the events that had taken place the last 24 hours. 

His plans of silence came to a crashing halt once he rounded the corner into the living room to see three people sitting on the couch staring at him. 

He looked on in confusion before scrunching up his nose, pointing at Minho asking, “Who’s this? And why does it smell like dog in here?”

Jinki abruptly stood from the couch. “Never mind that. Is there something you want to tell me?”

Jonghyun stood there in silence unsure of what Jinki was referring to. He couldn’t possibly know of what happened with him and Taeyeon. “Something like what?”

“Be honest with me, Jonghyun. Do you have anything going on with The Order?” 

Jonghyun could sense that Jinki was trying to remain calm, which he hoped was working because Jinki could be quite scary when he was serious or mad, and Jonghyun was feeling the urge to flee before Jinki could really blow his top. 

“I don’t know what you’re talking about-”

“Don’t lie to me.” The look in Jinki’s eyes was turning more and more menacing by the minute. 

“I’m not lying-”

“Then why did The Order call me about you?”

Jonghyun froze not knowing what to say. Keun-Suk called Jinki? Why would he do that? What did he say? Did he tell Jinki about Taeyeon? Jonghyun wished he knew the answers to these questions, because it seemed like Jinki sure did. 

He decided to continue to play dumb in an effort not to give himself up. “Jinki. I don’t know what’s going on-”

“Bullshit,” Jinki seethed, surprising Taemin and even Minho. They’d both been used to Jinki being the calm and collected person that he was. This was a new side of him that they weren’t used to. 

Jinki was fed up. He wanted to give Jonghyun the benefit of the doubt due to The Order being untrustworthy. However, his friend’s behavior screamed suspicion, and it only made what Keun-Suk said sound like the truth. And Jinki didn’t want to believe his friend was capable of doing what Keun-Suk was alluding to.

Jinki decided to just come out with it. “Did you hurt her?”

Jonghyun tried not to show any expression, but he was freaking out on the inside. “Hurt who?”

“You know damn well who I’m talking about. Did you hurt Taeyeon?”

Taemin let out an audible gasp. Taeyeon? What would Jonghyun have to do with her? 

Minho was just as confused. Were they talking about the girl that went missing? Did this guy know her or something? 

Jonghyun stood there in silence avoiding Jinki’s eyes. Jinki took his silence as admission. “You did, didn’t you? That’s why you looked so refreshed this morning, isn’t it?”

Jonghyun sighed, keeping his voice in an even tone to calm Jinki. “It’s not what you think-”

“So, you actually did it?!”

Jonghyun tried to think of a response, but all that came out was silence. 

Jinki continued. “We were supposed to be living a new life, turning over a new leaf and distancing ourselves from that toxic, blood-thirsty clan of ours. And what do you do? Right as things start to look good for us, you fuck everything up! And for what? One quick drink? A short-lived moment in bliss for what? The loss of a life? Do you think this is a fucking joke?!”

“Jinki, I-”

“We left The Order for a good reason, to become better people! We left because we knew that the lifestyle was wrong. Now what? You threw that all away for what?!” 

Jonghyun didn’t know what to say. He was ashamed. He was disappointed in himself. And he knew he deserved everything Jinki was throwing at him. There were no words that would make this situation any better. 

Jinki let the silence sink in before calmly continuing. “What’s the meaning of all of this, any of this, if all you’re going to do is hurt innocent people?” 

At that, Jinki backed away and headed upstairs. He had nothing else to say to him. He didn’t even want to look at him because it made him want to cry tears of anger, bitterness, and sadness for the life that had been lost.

After Jinki had left the living room, no one moved. Taemin still sat on the couch in shock at the news that Jonghyun was responsible for Taeyeon’s disappearance. He wasn’t sure if she was dead, but he guessed Jinki asking if Jonghyun had ‘hurt’ her alluded to death.

If he didn’t have any reason to hate him, he clearly had one now. Although he wasn’t close with Taeyeon, he knew she was a nice person that didn’t deserve this. His brother, Taesun, seemed so happy whenever he talked to him about her. 

Taemin teared up as he thought about how his brother would handle the news of Taeyeon’s death whenever the news came out. Now that he knew it was true, he wished he could be there for his brother. 

Taemin glanced up at Jonghyun as a tear streamed down one of his cheeks. “You’ve really done it now. Was it worth it? Huh? Now, my brother will have to suffer at the fact of knowing that two people he loved in this world died within the same year, one of those deaths thanks to you.”

“Taemin-”

“I hate you!” He screamed before involuntarily vanishing. It was one of the first times that he was happy he disappeared without warning. 

Minho wasn’t sure what to make of the situation. So much had happened in the span of a few hours. He found out he works with a vampire who’s roommates with another vampire and a ghost. His secret was no longer a secret, and he just found out that the girl who’s currently missing is probably dead because of the vampire standing in front of him. It was way too much to digest. 

He stood up, awkwardly making his way toward the door. “Um, tell Jinki I’ll see him at work tomorrow.” He quickly exited and walked to the late-night bus station, replaying the events that had taken place. 

Jonghyun stared in the direction of the front door, pretty sure that the guy was a werewolf, but he decided to not even think about that. He sank down onto the couch placing his head in his hands. 

He didn’t even feel sorry for himself because he knew he had no right. It was karma. Karma for what he’d done to Taeyeon, and for betraying Jinki. Jinki never got upset unless something really pissed him off, and that something was Jonghyun. 

There was only one thing Jonghyun could do to make the situation right. It wouldn’t bring Taeyeon back, but if anything, it would lay the whole situation to rest. 

He pulled out his burner phone from his pocket. It was the phone he used in case of emergencies, like when he called The Order. At least with this phone, he couldn’t be traced. 

He pulled something else out of his pocket, a paper with the heading ‘Have You Seen This Girl,’ written in bold. There on the page was a picture of Taeyeon that he assumed was from a while ago. Her hair was blonde in the picture. It really suited her, he thought. 

Right below the picture was a number to call with any information regarding the situation. 

This was what Jonghyun had to do. It was only right. He’d fucked up enough already. It was about time that he did something good. 

He dialed the numbers into the phone, waiting as it rang. Not even a second later, the phone was answered by a woman who Jonghyun immediately recognized as being Taeyeon’s mom. The voice sounded the same as the lady on the news. 

He wasn’t expecting her to answer, which made what he was about to do that much more painful. 

“H-Hello? I-Is anyone there?” She sounded like she’d just got finished crying. 

Jonghyun closed his eyes. “I’m calling you about your daughter.” 

The woman gasped. “Yes? What is it? Is she ok?! Did you find her?!”

“I’m sorry, but-” Jonghyun stopped as a sob almost came out. It wasn’t his right to cry over someone he’d killed. “Your daughter’s dead.”

“What-” Before she could finish her thought, Jonghyun slammed the phone shut before crushing it in his hand.


	5. Aftermath.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Double update for chapter 5&6!

Trauma. Betrayal. Guilt.

Those three words perfectly described Jinki’s emotions at the moment as he walked absentmindedly through the hospital’s halls trying to forget the events of last night.

He was traumatized and terrorized by the fact that Jonghyun, his close friend of almost a century, had done something so heinous and vile as kill an innocent human at such a pivotal time in their lives. At a time where they were starting anew and recreating a name for themselves. At a time when they were trying to rid of their bloody past for a clearer and brighter future, Jonghyun chose now to take a million steps back.

It scared Jinki because the situation brought back terrible memories of Jonghyun’s bloodlust days, times where he and Keun-Suk ran amok terrorizing towns and villages for the sake of entertainment. He distinctly remembered trying to convince Jonghyun to change his ways back then, but all he was met with was silence and a middle finger to the face. Those were dark times for their friendship.

When Jonghyun finally started to listen to Jinki and distance himself from the Order, the younger vampire had done so well. So well, that Jinki almost forgot about his reckless past. Almost.

Now with the news of Jonghyun being the cause of Taeyeon’s disappearance, Jinki couldn’t help but replay the horrible images of Jonghyun’s former self. It wasn’t a pretty site, and quite frankly, he’d rather not think of his friend in that way. However, Jonghyun was making that a hard thing to do.

Along with being traumatized, the feeling of betrayal was an even stronger emotion. Throughout their journey of self-discovery, Jinki had been there for Jonghyun every step of the way. Back when they both drank live from humans, Jinki always made sure Jonghyun didn’t go overboard and drank just enough to ease his appetite. That was a battle within itself because Jonghyun wasn’t good at restraint.

When Jonghyun decided to quit cold turkey alongside with Jinki, Jinki was there to help with the withdrawals. He knew it was going to be especially hard for Jonghyun who was so used to purging villages for the thrill of it. He was quite proud of Jonghyun because he knew it wasn’t an easy decision for him to make, so he wanted to make the process as painless as possible.

Whenever Jinki killed an animal, he’d let Jonghyun drink a larger portion than himself. Whenever animal blood didn’t seem to be enough, Jinki would even offer his own blood knowing it was a bit more satisfying than the blood of an animal. It was still nothing compared to human blood, but it was still a huge help and Jonghyun definitely benefited from it. Whenever he almost lost his mind from cravings, Jinki was there to remind him of the reason why they were doing this. They didn’t want to be monsters anymore.

Fast forward decades later, Jinki’s confidence in Jonghyun had grown tremendously. Since deciding to quit, he’d only had two slip ups, both at the hands of Keun-Suk who’d purposely tantalized Jonghyun in hopes of getting his favorite fledgling back on his side. However, Jonghyun’s loyalty lied with Jinki. So, no matter how persistent Keun-Suk was, Jinki had always been there to remind Jonghyun that a life of killing humans wasn’t worth it.

But what about now?

As much as Jinki wanted to dwell on how betrayed he felt by Jonghyun, he couldn’t help but place some of the blame on himself. He felt so guilty, guilty at the fact that he didn’t help his friend enough. Guilty at the fact that the help he did give Jonghyun wasn’t good enough. Guilty at the fact that he didn’t pay much attention to how much his friend was struggling to suppress his cravings since they’d moved to the new town. He’d blindly trusted that Jonghyun had everything under control, easily forgetting that his friend wasn’t as well-trained as he was at ignoring his cravings. No matter how far he’d come, Jonghyun was still considered a newly ‘vegetarian’ vampire compared to Jinki.

He promised Jonghyun that as soon as he started working at the hospital, he was going to get access to some blood bags. However, he hadn’t been able to do it the first day of work because he was too busy getting introduced to everyone, setting up his office, meeting new patients, etc. He was so busy that he’d forgotten about the number one task at hand. As much as he wanted to blame Jonghyun, he felt that he also played a role in his friend’s demise.

For example, he should’ve insisted on Jonghyun going hunting with him when they first moved in. The only reason he didn’t press him too much was because he knew Jonghyun detested the taste of animal blood. It was just something he couldn’t get used to. So, with the thought of getting access to blood bags the next day in mind, Jinki thought nothing of it because he believed Jonghyun could hold out one more day.

He was wrong. And him being wrong caused a young girl to lose her life.  
Along with all of these emotions, embarrassment was becoming pretty dominant the more Jinki thought of the situation throughout the day. How come? Because Minho had seen it all.

After Jinki had stormed upstairs, he’d forgotten all about Minho, leaving the poor wolf downstairs in an awkward situation. He was just too upset to think about it. However, while getting ready for work that morning, Minho came to mind and that’s when Jinki remembered he practically ditched him after going off on Jonghyun.

Come to think of it, how did he expect Minho to ever accept his offer of staying with them after he’d witnessed the events of last night. After spending so much time trying to convince him that moving in would be a good idea and that he and Jonghyun were reformed vampires that he wouldn’t have to worry about, everything he’d said seemed invalid due to his blowup with Jonghyun. He really hoped he hadn’t scared the wolf away, but he wouldn’t blame him.

Although he was pissed at Jonghyun, he was still determined to help him. There was no way he could just to turn his back on him because where else would he go? He knew throwing Jonghyun out would make it that much easier for The Order to claim him again, and with Jonghyun’s lack of willpower, that wouldn’t be a difficult task for such a strong clan.

His first order of business was to find the hospital’s blood bank, a room where thousands of blood bags were stacked on dozens of shelves waiting to be used. It was basically the Mecca of Jinki and Jonghyun’s survival.

It was crucial that he found the room as soon as possible because Jonghyun could only last about a week without drinking again. If Jinki didn’t find it in time, he’d either have to force his friend to drink animal blood or shove his own arm in Jonghyun’s mouth because there was no way he was going to allow Jonghyun’s slip up to happen again.

But how would he find the room?

He couldn’t just outright ask for it. It would seem weird and probably make him look suspicious. The last hospital he worked at had the room right by his office, so it was easy access. However, this hospital seemed to have the room sectioned off somewhere because Jinki had walked on about five different floors for the last 15 minutes, and found nothing. It was getting ridiculous.

It’s not even like he could sniff it out because he was in a hospital full of humans. He’d just have to hope he could find it before his lunch break was over. He had another 45 minutes, so that should be plenty of time.

As Jinki hastily rounded a corner, clouded by his thoughts, he accidentally bumped into someone coming his way. He immediately apologized before looking up and seeing that it was Minho, who was holding a cup of chocolate pudding in one hand and a spoonful of pudding in the other hand, confusion written on his face.

“Is this a thing now?” He said after shoving the spoonful of pudding into his mouth. “You hurting me? First you step on my foot in the cafeteria. Now you run into me in the hallway.” He shook his head in playful disappointment. “You gotta start watching where you’re going.”

Jinki looked down as he attempted to collect himself. “Sorry. I was busy thinking about something.”

Minho nodded, throwing away the rest of his pudding in a nearby trashcan. An awkward silence fell over the two, Minho unsure of what to say and Jinki still brewing over how to address ditching him last night.

Unable to take the silence anymore, Jinki rambled, “Look. I’m sorry about last night. I put you in an awkward situation and I didn’t even come back to check up on you. I just left you downstairs with my problematic roommate.”

“It’s ok-”

“I mean I didn’t even make sure you got home safely. Like who does that?! You were a house guest and I left you to fend for yourself-”

“Jinki. It’s fine. I’m a wolf,” he whispered the last part to avoid having others hear him. “I always find my way home.”

Jinki nodded as he sighed. “I just feel so bad about the whole thing. And embarrassed. I promise I’m not usually that emotional. I was just so angry at what he’d done. I’ve known him for so long, and I really thought I could trust him not to harm anyone, but I guess my judgment was way off."

“So, it’s true then? He actually did ki — I mean, he actually did it?”

Jinki nodded regrettably. “Sadly.”

“Mmm,” Minho hummed in understanding.

He wasn’t sure what he was supposed to say. He definitely didn’t blame Jinki for his actions last night. He would’ve been pissed too if he found out his friend had murdered somebody, especially now that Jinki’s made it very clear that he wanted to leave that violent vampire life in the past. Minho got it.

However, he also didn’t want to pass judgment on this Jonghyun guy. He barely knew him, but he could relate to him, at least on the part of killing innocent people. He knew what it was like to feel like you had control on things, all for everything to come crashing down in a split second. He still got occasional nightmares about the human he’d accidentally killed years ago. He didn’t think he could ever get over it.

Minho decided to switch the conversation seeing that Jinki was still blaming himself for the mess. “So,” he trailed, “Why were you in such a rush?”

That seemed to snap Jinki out of his thoughts, but Minho noticed him hesitate to answer the question so he continued, “You can tell me. I mean, we’re like supernatural best friends now, right?”

Jinki almost cracked a smile, entertained at the thought of actually having a best friend other than Jonghyun. “I guess.”

“Is it a vampire thing?”

He shrugged. “Something like that.”

“You know, I can tell you’re hesitant to tell me. Scared even. I can sense it.”

“Is that a wolf thing?” Jinki asked playing on Minho’s previous question.

Minho let out an amused snicker before saying, “Something like that. Now come on,” he said, getting antsy. The mystery was killing him. “Just tell me. I could probably be of some help.”

Jinki sighed as he furrowed his brows in deep thought. He didn’t want anyone else getting involved, especially Minho because he’d already involved the young wolf in his mess far enough. But on the other hand, Minho worked at this hospital way longer than Jinki. He was bound to know the ins and outs of everything hospital related. He would definitely know where the room was.

Question was: Would he actually be willing to help Jinki steal the very blood bags that their patients also depended on?

“I don’t know if you’d be willing to help. It’s kind of illegal.” Very illegal.

Minho stood proudly with his chest stuck out in a Superman pose. “Well lucky for you, I don’t play by the rules.”

“Oh, is that so?”

“I’ve been to juvie,” he said matter-of-factly as if that’d be convincing.

Jinki looked at him in amusement before rolling his eyes, walking past him saying, “I don’t want you involved.”

Minho sputtered nonsensically before quickly catching up to Jinki, grabbing his wrist to stop him in his tracks. “I really want to help. I don’t care how weird or vampire-y it happens to be. I mean, you’re willing to help me out, a werewolf. I want to do the same for you. So, let me.” You could practically see his tail wagging in excitement. It was moments like this that made Jinki realize how much of a pup Minho was.

Jinki glanced down at Minho’s gentle hand on his wrist, contemplating if he should ask for help. Something in him told him he could trust him. He knew he could. He just wasn’t used to asking others for help because he was usually the one helping and taking care of others. But he guessed he’d have to put his pride aside. For Jonghyun at least.

Noticing their intimate hold, and the side glances from the other nurses in the hallway, Minho slowly let go of his grasp on Jinki’s wrist, clearing his throat as he waited for the older man’s answer. For a vampire, Jinki had really nice soft skin, Minho noted. Nothing weird about that though, right? Right.

He was drawn out of his thoughts when Jinki commented, “I need to find the blood bank. Would you happen to know where the room is?”

Minho scrunched his brows in thought. “Hmm. The blood bank. Sure, I know where it is. But may I ask why?” He knew he was prying, but he couldn’t help being a curious wolf at times. There was a low demand for blood transfusions around this time of the year, so he knew Jinki couldn’t have wanted the blood for any patients.

“I’d rather you not.”

Minho sighed, frustration slowly seeping in. “Jinki,” he said firmly, “The only way I can help you is if you’re honest with me. I promise I won’t judge. I mean, you’re the only friend I have right now who understands me, the only one who knows the truth. I want to be able to understand you too.” Plus, he was really nosy. Who cares?

Jinki sighed, looking off to the side before giving in. “Ok. It’s for Jonghyun. Well actually the both of us, but mostly for him. I promised him before we left the clan that once I finally got another hospital job, the first thing I would do is bring home blood bags. It helps him cope more than animal blood does. And as you’ve already witnessed, it’s easy for a vampire like him to slip. So, I owe it to him as a friend to help him through this. I need to keep my promise.”

Minho stood there in astonishment. Not particularly at the reason why Jinki needed the blood, but at the fact that Jinki’s so selfless. In the short time that he’d know the vampire, two days to be exact, he’d learned that Jinki’s very giving and worries a lot about other people. He puts others ahead of himself. Minho could learn a thing or two from him.

“But,” Jinki said getting Minho’s attention, “If you don’t want to help anymore, I-”

“I’ll help.”

A smile slowly crept its way onto Jinki’s face. “You’ll help?”

“Of course. This hospital has plenty of blood to spare. Don’t worry about it. Let’s go.”

Jinki nodded eagerly in excitement, finally seeing a glimpse of hope come back into his life. If he could get his hand on some blood, Jonghyun would be easier to control.

Minho led them to the base level of the hospital, opting to take the stairs because they’d be less likely to run into someone than if they took the elevator. Jinki was right about the room being secluded. It seemed like they were walking in circles before they stumbled upon a vault-like door that required a code, thankfully one that Minho knew.

Jinki glanced at his watch sighing, “Great. I’ve wasted my whole lunch break looking for this place.”

“Well, if you would’ve asked me first, we would’ve found this place a long time ago.”

“Thanks, by the way,” Jinki said as he walked around the blood bank in awe of the abundance of blood available. It was way more than his previous hospital kept in stock.

“No problem. Will you need any help getting this out?”

“No, just tell me the code and I can do it myself.”

Minho shook his head in defiance. “Nope!”

Jinki scrunched his brows, genuinely confused. “Why not?”

Minho shrugged. “Oh, I don’t know. Maybe because I want to feel important. Whenever you need to get in, you’ll need me since I have the code.”

Jinki rolled his eyes, done with Minho’s antics. “But wouldn’t that be inconvenient? What if I need to get in there and you’re busy?”

“Hm. I didn’t think about that.”

Jinki laughed in astonishment. Minho couldn’t be serious, could he? “Just be a good boy and give me the code, please,” he ended playfully rubbing Minho’s head.

Minho grumpily shoved his hand away muttering, “Whatever.”  
—

Taemin sat on the living room couch bored more than ever. He’d gotten used to the silence these last six months, but ever since the two vampires came into his life, he hated the silence in the house. It just reminded him of how lonely he was when no one else was around. Maybe it wouldn’t be as bad if he could go out and explore on his own, but he still hadn’t quite figured that out yet. He’s getting there.

He would usually have the background noise of the tv to accompany him, but he couldn’t even watch tv to fill the silence because Jinki forgot to leave it on before leaving for work in the morning. Taemin could have messed with the wiring to cut it on, but the tv was left unplugged, so that was impossible. The only noise he could hear was the sound of cars and kids outside. Go figure. He just hoped that Jinki would be home soon to entertain him.

He didn’t blame Jinki, though. He had a lot on his mind – a lot meaning Jonghyun. Taemin really hated that guy. He was actually considering giving him another chance since Jinki loved him so much, but after finding out what Jonghyun did to his brother’s ex-fling, all chances flew out the window.

She really didn’t deserve it. Out of everyone that could’ve been Jonghyun’s dinner, he chose to pick someone with a family, a job, friends, and a great personality. Even though Taemin had only met her a few times, he knew how sweet of a person she was. He distinctly remembered when she came to one of his dance recitals. He was confused on who the girl was that his brother was flirting with, but he didn’t care much because she brought him flowers and that really meant a lot.

If it were up to Taemin, he’d kick Jonghyun out on the streets where he belonged, but sadly he couldn’t even lift a piece of paper. How could he expect to have the authority to remove someone from a house? He’d leave that up to Jinki, and based on how nice and forgiving he is, he knew Jonghyun wasn’t going anywhere.

It’s not like he hadn’t been practicing though. As soon as Jinki left, Taemin attempted to move the magazine again. His morale was already depleted from his first try, so needless to say, his second try hadn’t gone any better. Instead of crying this time, he just sat there on the couch wondering why he was such a failure.

He really wished Jinki had more time to spend with him because the guy seemed to have a lot of wisdom. It’s not like Taemin blamed him though. He knew how busy Jinki was with the hospital, Jonghyun, and whatever else that came up. He was just glad to have someone like him around who cared about his wellbeing. He was truly like family to him and he wished they’d met when he was alive.

Maybe he’d have more than one person who cared about him if Minho had stayed around. Poor little wolf, thought Taemin. He looked so scared and clueless last night. Taemin would’ve been too if he were stuck in a situation like that. He was pretty sure Minho changed his mind about moving in now. There’s another thing Jonghyun ruined.

Taemin sat on the living room couch for a while, staring out the large window, before he heard the sound of keys opening the front door. His mood instantly brightened at the thought of Jinki being home. He looked at the clock and noticed that it was kind of early for the elder to be home, but he didn’t care. He jumped off the couch, ready to greet who he thought was Jinki. However, as the person rounded the corner into the living room, Taemin’s smile instantly dropped at the unexpected face.

“Hello,” said the man. “Is anyone home? I came to check out the plumbing.”

Taemin stared at the face in shock as tears slowly began pooling in his eyes. “Taesun?” He whispered his brother’s name in disbelief.

The last time he’d seen him was the day he died. Ever since then, his brother refused to set foot back into the house, even when his family moved out. The only people Taemin saw come in and out of the house was his dad and sometimes his mom. Taesun, on the other hand, never bothered to come in.

It hurt a little, but Taemin didn’t take it to heart. They were close. His brother was his best friend. He knew that if the roles were reversed, it would probably be hard for him as well to go back to the place his brother died.

“Guys?” Taesun shouted as a last attempt to see if the two vampires were home.

He sighed and made his way to the kitchen, Taemin’s eyes following his every move. Taesun stopped dead in his tracks at the kitchen door and turned around to face the living room. Taemin’s heart would’ve skipped a beat if it worked. Taesun was looking straight at him. Could he sense him? Or better yet, could he see him?

Taemin walked a little closer to his brother. “Taesun? Can you see me? Can you hear me?”

Instead of an answer, his brother stood there for a few more seconds before he turned around muttering, “This place still gives me the chills.”

Taemin dropped his head in disappointment. How stupid could he be? Of course, his brother couldn’t see him. He was human and alive, which was good, he supposed. At least that meant his brother wasn’t a ghost or a werewolf or something. But there was a small part of him that wished his brother was a part of the supernatural. At least he’d be able to see him then.

Taemin followed his brother to the kitchen, finding him checking out the pipes under the sink. “It’s about time to replace these,” Taesun commented as he tapped the old pipes with a wrench.

Taemin sat on the kitchen counter behind his brother observing him. In only six months, his older brother looked like a different person. He grew his hair out just below his shoulders. It looked unkempt and very unruly, something Taemin wasn’t used to because his brother used to be someone who cared a lot about his appearance. Now, he had patchy facial hair and his clothes looked like that hadn’t been washed in a month. He’d really let himself go, but even with all the differences, Taemin was still happy to see him. If only he knew that he was watching.

Taemin decided to talk to him even if the man couldn’t hear him.

“It’s nice to see you, Taesun. I’ve really missed you so much. You have no idea. It’s boring here without you. I even miss our bickering. It was kind of fun actually. Anyway, how have you been? Has life treated you well? I surely hope so. Oh! You won’t believe this. You know those two guys dad gave the house to? They’re vampires. Fucking vampires! I know. I didn’t believe it at first, but it’s true. Werewolves also exist. I met one last night. He was pretty cool.”

His brother let out a frustrated groaned as he tried to unscrew a pipe with much difficulty.

“I see you’re still doing dad’s dirty work. I thought you would’ve stood up to him by now and told him you don’t want to me a handyman. You’re not even good at it. Plumbing definitely wasn’t your calling. Whatever happened to you pursuing music?”

“Fuck!” His brother said in frustration.

Taemin sighed. “Still have anger issues, I see. I guess those classes didn’t help. Why don’t you just call a real plumber? Dad doesn’t have to know.”

Taemin got off the counter and sat next to his brother on the floor. He leaned his head against one of the floor cabinets as he stared at his brother with a lost longing look. “How’s mom? I heard her health isn’t looking too good these days. Will she get better? I hope so. I don’t want her to have to suffer like me, being lost and stuck on a planet without being able to enjoy it. It’s miserable.”

His brother slammed the wrench down in realization that it was the wrong size. “I’m a fucking idiot.” He grabbed a bigger wrench and attempted to unscrew the pipe again.

Taemin continued. “Did you hear about Taeyeon? Well, it’s been all over the news so you must’ve seen it. I’m so sorry. I know you really liked her. I liked her too. The sad part is the person who did it is one of the people that live in this house and there’s nothing I can do about it. I just hope that you’re ok.”

Pretty soon, talking to his brother became depressing because with every question Taemin asked, he expected an answer. But he wasn’t getting any. He was only met with silence and he was sick of silence.

Out of pure frustration, Taemin screamed, “Hey! Talk to me!” At that, one of the pipes burst causing Taesun to get drenched in sink water.

“Shit!” Taesun scrambled to tighten the pipe back as more water sprayed onto him.

“Crap, I’m sorry! I’m sorry! I’m sorry! I didn’t mean it!” Taemin apologized over and over again as he watched his brother struggle to tighten the pipe.

He always seemed to forget what Jinki said about his emotions being tied to the house. He didn’t mean for anything to happen to his brother. He was just so angry and frustrated that he was sitting directly by the person he missed the most and he could even hug him or talk to him.

Taemin quickly got ahold of himself and his emotions, and just as soon as it happened, the water stopped spraying out as if it were never there. His brother looked on astounded at what just happened. He looked down at his wet clothes before standing up with a grunt. He pulled out a pin and wrote a note apologizing for the mess and promising to come back another day to fix the pipes.

Taemin looked on in disappointment as tears brewed in his eyes again. “Taesun, I’m sorry. Please don’t leave. Please!”

But of course, his brother couldn’t hear him. As soon as he finished writing the note, he grabbed his toolbox and stormed out the house, unknowingly leaving behind his little brother. Taemin watched sadly from the window as Taesun’s car sped off leaving behind a trail of dust, and just like that, Taemin was consumed by the silence again.  
—  
Going to the bar was starting to become a regular thing for Jonghyun. He wasn’t quite sure what drew him to the place. Maybe it was the atmosphere. Maybe it was the constant regret and guilt that reminded him of the events that took place there before everything led up to what happened that night. Whatever the reason was, Jonghyun found himself revisiting the place.

He hadn’t really been at the house too much since Jinki’s blowup. He figured that with Jinki’s disappointment and Taemin’s hatred for him flowing in the air, the smartest thing to do would be to remove himself from the situation. Not like anyone would really notice since he’s usually not around anyway.

It was sad, really. He couldn’t even sulk or reflect in his own home. He wondered to himself what exactly happened to his safe haven. Instead of a place of safety, it was becoming a place where he felt unwanted.

Maybe that’s really why he was more attracted to the bar. Although it was a negative reminder on what happened with Taeyeon, there was no Jinki or Taemin there to judge him. No one asked too many questions, well except for Kibum of course, but that didn’t bother Jonghyun. Kibum was good company and it was nice to have a genuine conversation with someone who didn’t know him as a bloodsucker. The bar was starting to become a place where he could really escape — it was his very own safe haven.

Jonghyun walked in and sat in his usual spot, already expecting the familiar voice that addressed him only moments later.

“You’re here again?” He looked up to see Kibum with an amused smile as he settled behind the bar stand. “You know, at first I was kidding about the day drinking thing, but now I’m not so sure. Should I be concerned?”

Jonghyun grinned slightly, shaking his head no. “There’s nothing to worry about. Just bring me a sprite.”

Kibum scoffed, a reaction Jonghyun expected. “So, you come to a bar in the middle of the day just for a sprite.”

“Yup.”

Kibum nodded in thought. “Hmm. I see. Is that all you came for?”

Jonghyun paused before giving a response, not sure if Kibum was trying to suggest something else or if he was asking a genuine question. To be honest, he wasn’t quite sure himself which one he’d rather it be. However, he knew he couldn’t allow himself to get pulled in by another attractive person, even if said person was his type. He didn’t want a repeat of the biggest mistake of his life.

“You know,” Kibum said grabbing his attention, “Why don’t you just go grocery shopping?”

Jonghyun gave a confused expression. “What?”

“I mean, the last few times you’ve been here, you’ve either asked for soda or water. Hate to break it to you, but bar drinks are way overpriced. You’d do yourself a favor by buying a two-liter. Saves money.”

“I don’t do grocery shopping.”

“Oh, how cool are you,” Kibum said sarcastically as he went to fetch Jonghyun’s sprite. “You must eat out a lot then.”

Jonghyun grabbed the drink as he answered, “You can say that.” If draining someone’s neck was considered takeout, then yes, he ate out all the time.

“Mm,” Kibum nodded thoughtfully. “That’s not healthy, you know. You should learn how to cook.”

Jonghyun scoffed in fake offense. “What makes you think I can’t cook?”

Kibum deadpanned. “According to you, you don’t even have groceries to cook.”

Jonghyun dropped his head, accepting defeat. “I guess you’re right.”

Kibum leaned comfortably on the counter in front of Jonghyun, stating, “So I heard there’s going to be a memorial.” Jonghyun have a confused face that threw Kibum off. He continued, “Taeyeon’s? You didn’t know?”

Of course, he knew about it. He knew about everything dealing with the situation, mostly from paranoia that someone would find out about him being involved. Even though he was pretty sure Keun-Suk wiped clean any evidence that linked him to the crime, he knew it would be naïve to think nothing could go wrong.

Besides, even with him knowing about the memorial, it’s not like he had the right to show up. He was the reason why there was a memorial in the first place. As guilty as he felt about it, he couldn’t be disrespectful and show up weeping as if he’d known her his whole life when he’s the one that took her life. But of course, Kibum didn’t know that, so Jonghyun just gave a bland answer.

“I don’t do memorials.”

Kibum nodded in agreeance, surprising Jonghyun. “Yeah me neither, nor funerals for that matter. It’s so sad and depressing. But you wouldn’t want to go to see her family?”

Jonghyun looked down at his drink solemnly as he shook his head no. “I never got the chance to meet them.”

“Oh, I’m sorry. I just assumed… I mean you guys were super close that night.” Kibum felt that the biggest asshole in that moment. Why didn’t he know when to shut up or when to stop prying? Why did he always ask questions before thinking about them? He didn’t know.

“It’s ok. We weren’t that close. Well I mean we were close that night, but that was the first day I met her. We didn’t know each other before then so…,” he ended, not really knowing how to finish the sentence.

Kibum decided to change the subject since it was his fault why the mood was brought down anyhow. “What brings you by, anyway,” he asked casually as he wiped down the bar top.

Jonghyun stared at his untouched drink deep in thought. “Just got a lot on my mind.”

“Wanna talk about it?”

Despite his wishes, he shook his head no. He wished he could have someone to vent to, someone besides Jinki. He needed someone to understand and just be an ear for him. That person obviously couldn’t be Taemin considering the ghost-boy hated him. There was no way he could vent to any clan members. That’d be a recipe for disaster, especially dealing with Keun-Suk.

There were just times where he wished he could let out all the thoughts and worries he was too cautious to tell Jinki. Even if he just spoke to a stranger, he would feel better knowing that at least someone understood him and heard him out because sometimes it’s easier to tell a stranger about your problems than it is to tell your closest friend.

However, that was hard to do when his biggest issue dealt with being a vampire. Who would take him seriously? Who would be able to stomach some of the things he wanted to confess? There were things he’d done that he was too afraid to even speak of in front of Jinki. If he believed a vampire couldn’t handle it, how could he expect a human to?

Kibum sighed and nodded. “You don’t have to tell me. I understand. There are things I like to keep private too. But just know that if you ever feel the urge to let everything out, I’m here. I promise I won’t tell anyone. Just remember, the bartender’s always your best friend. Anyway, feel free to hang out here all day. You know I won’t kick you out,” he ended as he left to tend to another customer.

Jonghyun allowed himself to smile sincerely. He couldn’t help but wonder if Kibum would say the same thing if he knew what he really was. A part of him wanted to believe that he would because Kibum seemed like the type of person who wouldn’t judge. However, letting a human know about vampires was always a risk and a bad idea. It’s not just dangerous for vampires, but it’s also dangerous for the human.

Jonghyun knew that if he were to ever tell anyone and the Order found out about it, it wouldn’t be pretty. He’d already ruined Taeyeon’s life. He didn’t want to add Kibum to the list. Even if the Order didn’t find out, there’s no guarantee that Kibum wouldn’t tell other people about it. So, for now, Jonghyun would just have to deal with his problems on his own.

So, he sat there for the rest of the afternoon thinking about last night. How would he apologize to Jinki? Would Jinki even accept his apology? Would he be able to move past this? Would Taemin ever not hate him? He hoped he’d be able to find the answers.

There was one thing he could get off his mind though. Who the heck was that guy last night? And why was he there? He was obviously a werewolf. Jonghyun’s had plenty of unpleasant run-ins with them, so he’d never forget the smell. As for why Jinki invited a werewolf over to their ‘safe haven’ was quite hard to grasp.

He understood that Jinki was a peacemaker and made a few friends that were also werewolves, but Jonghyun never trusted them. Maybe it was his paranoia or maybe even the Order’s values that were still instilled in him, but having that wolf sitting in their living just rubbed him the wrong way.  
—  
An awkward silence fell over Jinki and Minho as they made their way out of the blood room. They almost reached the door to the staircase when Minho said, “So..., I’ve been thinking about your offer.”

Jinki stopped by the door puzzled. “Hm? My offer?”

“To move in?” Had Jinki forgotten, thought Minho.

Jinki gave a shocked expression before answering. “Oh?” He could’ve sworn that after what happened last night, Minho wasn’t interested anymore.

“Yeah,” Minho trailed. “I’m in.”

Jinki couldn’t help the instant smile and excitement that shown on his face. “Really? Jonghyun didn’t scare you away?”

Minho chuckled, “It’s more like Taemin didn’t scare me away.”

“Yeah, he can be a bit much. Sweet kid, though. But seriously, I don’t want you to feel pressured to say yes especially after last night-”

“I don’t feel pressured. It’s just that after I went home last night, I took some time to think about everything you said. You’re right. I do need to be around people like me, people who can understand me more than any normal human would. Plus, I like the house and Taemin’s seems to be a good time.”

Jinki grinned. “He is. He’ll be so excited to know you’re actually moving in. At least he’ll have someone else’s ear to talk off besides myself.”

“I like the talk too! See, we already have plenty in common. I knew this was a good idea.”

“So how soon do you want to move in?”  
“Soon. Like when we both get off after work.”

Jinki raised his brow in surprise. “Wow, that is soon.”

“But I don’t have much to pack. I really didn’t bring much after running away from home. But if it’s a problem-”

“It’s not! I’ll just have to relay the message to Jonghyun, that’s if he’s even home tonight. And you know Taemin’s not going to have a problem with it so you’re fine.”

“Ok! Great. And thanks, Jinki. It really means a lot, and I’ll try my best not to be annoying.”

Jinki chuckled, “If I’ve been able to put up with Jonghyun and Taemin, I’m pretty sure I’ll be able to put up with you. Don’t worry. I’m just thrilled that there will be another person in the house to talk to. Not to mention, I still want to help you out with your wolf stuff. It just saddens me that you seem to struggle so much with it.”

Minho sighed. “Yeah. I guess it is about time that I learn something new that’ll help. I’m sick of feeling like shit.”

“Well, I’ll make a promise to you right now. I promise that the next full moon won’t be nearly as painful as the last one.”

Minho smiled as he held his pinky out for a pinky promise. “I’ll hold you to that.”

Jinki thought it was a bit childish, but played along and linked his pinky with Minho’s before the two of them made their way upstairs.  
—

As promised, right after work, Jinki drove himself and Minho to towards Minho’s camper to gather his stuff. Jinki was surprised at how far out on the outskirts of town this camper was located, but Minho insisted that it was for safety reasons – safety for himself, but more importantly, safety for society.

“So how are you able to make it to work on time since you’re so far out and don’t have a car,” Jinki asked as he drove on the trail that led directly to Minho’s camper.

“Well, I usually just wake up super early, walk or run to the bus station, then take the bus to the city. From there, I’ll catch a cab to the hospital.”

Jinki glanced over before putting his eyes back on the road. “You really go through all of that? Wow.”

Minho nodded. “Yeah, I left my car back home when I ran away, and I never felt the need to buy another one, especially since I’d spent a good amount of my savings on planning a wedding that would never happen.”

It was silent for a few seconds before Jinki commented. “I’m sorry.”

“It’s ok. I’m over it now, mostly.”

Jinki decided to change the subject, seeing that Minho’s mood was quickly declining. “Well, at least you won’t have to worry about transportation anymore. You can use my car-”

“No, no,” Minho said as he shook his hands in denial. “You’ve already been too kind. I don’t want to use you for your car to. Your house is closer to the bus station-”

“Are you kidding me? There’s no way I’m letting you take the bus, especially when our work schedules or so similar. It’s perfect. I can drive the both of us to work, and if you ever need to use my car while I’m not using it, go ahead. I really don’t mind.”

Although Minho wanted to refuse, he didn’t argue. If Jinki said it was ok, then it was ok. He just couldn’t help feeling a little bad about Jinki giving up so much for him.

After about ten more minutes of driving down a narrowing path, they came across a small clearing where Minho’s camper sat conveniently hidden by a few trees in front of it.

It didn’t take very long for Minho to get everything together. He only packed three boxes worth of stuff he found necessary – clothes, shoes, and essentials like a toothbrush, toothpaste, etc. – because he thought it’d be useful to keep the camper there just in case he needed it for full moons. Plus, he’d spent so much on that thing. He was going to get his money’s worth.

They put the three boxes in the trunk of the car before Jinki pulled off, driving Minho to his new home.  
–

“Where is he? He should be home by now.”

Taemin paced the living room floor impatiently awaiting Jinki’s arrival. It was way past the time Jinki normally got home, and Taemin was a little worried. He also really needed someone to talk to. The situation with his brother never left his mind and he was beginning to spiral down an emotional path that wouldn’t be good for anyone.

He sat back on the couch, twiddling his thumbs in boredom. He just really hoped Jonghyun didn’t come back first, or even at all. He already despised being around him in the first place, but being alone with him without Jinki around was something he wanted to avoid.

Jinki and Minho finally arrived at the house a little after 9pm.

“I need to drop this paperwork off inside first, then I’ll come back and help with the boxes,” Jinki said as he got out the car. Minho nodded as he got out to open the truck.

When Jinki entered the house, he noted how eerily quiet it was. Had he forgotten to leave the tv on for Taemin? It was also really dark in the house because all of the lights were off. But Jinki distinctly remembered leaving on the lamp in the living room. There was only one explanation.

Jinki rounded the corner to the living room and turned on the lamp revealing a very sad looking Taemin sitting on the couch. It broke his unbeating heart to see Taemin like this because he was so used to him being excited and full of so much energy whenever he saw him. He didn’t like seeing him look so hopeless.

Jinki hurried to put his paperwork down and sat next to the ghost on the couch. “Did practice not go as planned again?”

Taemin slowly turned his face toward Jinki revealing his puffy eyes. He whispered, “I saw my brother today.”

Jinki’s eyes widened in shock. “What?”

“He came over to check the pipes when you weren’t home. I tried to talk to him but… he couldn’t hear me.”

Jinki let out a remorseful sigh. He felt so bad for Taemin. He couldn’t imagine how it must have felt to have a loved one be so close, but not be able talk to them. It was quite a sad situation.

Taemin continued, “That’s not even the worst part. I got all ghostly with him because I was angry that he wasn’t talking to me, even though I knew he couldn’t. So, I lost control and screamed at him, but once I did that, the water from the pipes sprayed all over him. He left a note for you guys, and just like that, he was gone again,” he ended as he tucked his head into his knees, curling up more into the couch.

Jinki really wished he could hug and comfort him. Now he understood how Taemin must have felt not being able to hold his brother. He scooted over as close as he could to Taemin. “That must’ve been very difficult for you. I’m so sorry you had to experience that alone. Had I known when he was coming, I would’ve been here for you or at least given you a heads up.”

Taemin sat up and gave a sad smile. Here Jinki was taking the blame as always. “I don’t blame you so don’t apologize. I’m just glad that you’re here now.”

“Yeah, sorry I wasn’t home sooner.”

“It’s ok, but why exactly are you home so late?”

At that moment, a familiar face entered the living room, sitting a box down by the entrance. Taemin’s mood instantly brightened. “Minho?! I thought I’d never see your face around here again!”

Minho chuckled. “Well, you better get used to it. I’m moving in.”

Taemin’s eyes widened as he jumped up from the couch shouting, “You’re actually moving in!” Maybe he was too excited because at the end of that sentence, a light bulb in one of the lamps shattered. He looks towards Jinki apologetically because that was the third one this week.

He continued “This is great. I would hug you right now if I could!”

Minho opened his arms wide saying, “Air hug?”

“Air hug,” Taemin complied by opening his arms and hugging the air as if Minho were there. He rambled on, “I can’t wait for us to have sleepovers, and movie nights, and pizza parties even though I can’t eat it, and gossip time, and game nights! I’m just so excited!” Then as expected, he vanished uncontrollably into thin air before coming back a second later.

Minho looked on stating, “That’ll take some getting used to.”

Jinki chuckled as he watched the two interact. It was exactly what he’d hoped for. Now, how would Jonghyun handle it? That was the real question.

Not wanting to waste any more time, Jinki interrupted the reunion. “Let’s get the other boxes and unpack.”  
—

After spending most of the day at the bar, Jonghyun decided it was time to leave a little after Kibum clocked out. Around that time, more people started to pour in, and based on what happened the last time he was in a bar full of humans, Jonghyun decided it was best to leave. Also, a part of him missed Kibum’s company, and since he was gone for the day and Jonghyun hadn’t quite formed a bond with the other bartenders there, there was no reason for him to stay.

It was a long, lonely walk back to the house and all Jonghyun could think about was the reaction to him coming back. He was hoping that since it was so late out, both Jinki and Taemin would be in their rooms or something. But who was he kidding? No one in that house was alive, so they didn’t depend on sleep.

Wait. Does Taemin sleep? Jonghyun didn’t know the answer, and it’s not like he’s close to Taemin to ask that question. He didn’t really care. Just curious.

In hopes of not running into anyone, once Jonghyun reached the house, he entered through the back door which was connected to the kitchen. At least that way, he’d be able to make a beeline to the stairs instead of having to cross through the living room if anyone were in there.

Once inside the kitchen, he closed the door and made a move to walk toward the stairs when a familiar smell caused him to halt his motion. It was the same smell he’d smelled last night as well as years ago when he was with the Order.

Why was there a werewolf in their house right now? And was it the same werewolf from last night? Regardless, Jonghyun had never had a good run-in with them and certainly didn’t want one in his home.

“I’ll bring down the last box. You should go ahead and start unpacking,” Jonghyun heard Jinki say in the living room. Who exactly was he talking to? And unpack what?

Jonghyun slowly walked into the living room, watching as Jinki made his way towards the stairs to the basement with a box in his hands. Jonghyun swiftly walked up to him asking, “Hey, what’s going on?”

Jinki turned around, setting the box on the ground so he could get a better view of Jonghyun. “Oh, how nice of you to join us,” he said sarcastically. He honestly wasn’t even expecting for Jonghyun to come home at all tonight, especially since he had the tendency to run away when times get tough.

Jonghyun glanced over toward the basement where the source of the smell as coming from. “Who’s down dare?”

Jinki sighed as he nervously rubbed the back of his head. “I’ve been meaning to talk to you about that. We have a new roommate.”

Jonghyun exhaled in disbelief. New roommate? “And why does he smell like a werewolf?”

“Because he is one.”

Jonghyun’s eyes widened as he whisper-yelled, “Jinki! He can’t stay here!”

Jinki quirked a brow. “Oh? And why not?”

“Because it’s not safe. You know how they are.”

“Jonghyun, we’re not with the Order anymore. We don’t have to hate werewolves just because that’s what our society has led us to believe.”

“It’s not about hating werewolves. It’s about protecting ourselves, Jinki. You know how many bad run-ins we’ve had with them-”

“You mean how many bad run-ins you’ve had with them. Yes, I may have encountered some bad werewolves, but I can’t let that small percentage spoil my view on a whole population. Maybe if you didn’t join Keun-Suk on his hate-fest werewolf hunts, then maybe you’d have a different view.”

Jonghyun scoffed feeling a little offended. “How do you know this guy anyway? How long have you even known him?”

“I met him at work, and I’ve known him just as long as I’ve been working at the hospital. Any more questions?” Jinki was starting to get annoyed, and he certainly didn’t want to leave Minho waiting on him for too long like last time.

“You’ve only been working there for two days. What the hell, Jinki?! What makes you think you can trust this guy after such a short time? And don’t tell me you fell for his puppy eyes.”

“Look,” Jinki stated firmly, finally fed up. “You’re already treading on thin ice as it is. I’m honestly surprised that I’m even talking to you right now. Don’t put salt on the wound.”

“So that’s it, huh? I do something stupid, we get in a fight, and you replace me with wolf boy?”

“I’m not replacing anybody, and he has nothing to do with me and you. He needs our help.”

“Help? Dammit, Jinki. Why do you always feel the need to help everyone? Everyone’s business is not your concern.”

“I helped you, didn’t I?” Jonghyun didn’t know how to respond to that, so Jinki continued, “I know it’s not my obligation to help him, or anyone for that matter, but I want to because that’s what good people do.”

Jonghyun sneered, “Good people? There are no good people in this world.”

Jinki sighed as he picked up the box. “Not with that mentality.”

He made an attempt to walk downstairs, but Jonghyun blocked him stating, “I’m serious. I don’t want him here. The place is already starting to stink of his wolf stench.”

“He’s staying here and that’s final.”

“Oh, so I’m guessing you call the shots.”

At that moment, Taemin appeared in the room. “No, I do.”

Jonghyun almost rolled his eyes because he’d forgotten about Casper the annoying ghost. Shouldn’t he be out hunting graveyards or something?

Taemin continued, “And since this is my house, I will allow Minho to stay.”

Jonghyun hissed, “This isn’t your house. You’re just an annoying little pest we can’t get rid of.”

“Oh yeah? Like you got rid of Taeyeon? Don’t think I forgot.”

“And I feel horrible about that-”

“Oh, do you. I don’t like murderers living in my house, but you better be lucky that Jinki wants you to stay. If it were up to me, your sorry ass would be out in the streets where you belong.”

Jonghyun ignored the last part of Taemin’s sentence and turned to Jinki with a meaningful look in his eyes. “You want me to stay? You’re not going to kick me out?”

“I never planned to.”

“But why? Why let me stay when I’ve fucked up so badly?”

Jinki shrugged, “It’s what good people do.” Then he turned and headed down to the basement to check up on Minho, but he quickly walked back up once he remembered something. “Oh, I almost forgot. There are some blood bags in the fridge. ‘Wolf boy’ helped me get it by the way. You’re welcome.” Them he headed back downstairs.

Jonghyun had no idea how the conversation turned to make him feel like an even crappier person than he already did. Here he was bashing some guy just because he’s a wolf. However, that wolf was the main reason why he had access to blood now. As much as he didn’t want to admit, maybe Jinki was right. Maybe the Order did still have some control over his beliefs.

As Jonghyun stood there contemplating how to make sense of the situation, he was brought out of his thoughts when Taemin walked up to him and narrowed his eyes.

“What,” Jonghyun asked in confusion.

“I still don’t like you.”

“Ok? I don’t like you either, so I guess we’re even.”

“We’ll never be even. Just be glad that Jinki wants you here.”

“Or what? You’ll kick me out yourself? You can barely move a piece of paper. Why should I be scared of you?”

Taemin scoffed. “I may not be able to move a piece of paper, but with a little practice, I’ll be able to toss your ass out quicker than you snapped Taeyeon’s neck.”

“That’s if I don’t call up a priest to exorcise your ass out of here first.”

Taemin gasped, “You wouldn’t!”

“Try me.”

They stood there staring at each other menacingly for a few seconds, waiting for the other to budge first, before they heard Jinki’s voice from downstairs say, “Jonghyun, stop threatening to exorcise Taemin. And Taemin, stop threatening to throw out Jonghyun out. We’re all friends here. Good? Good.”

Taemin leaned in and whispered to Jonghyun, “This isn’t over,” then vanished into thin air.

Jonghyun stood there confused because he could’ve sworn the kid didn’t have control over that, but that seemed perfectly timed. He just shrugged it off and walked up to his room. Maybe he could finally get some alone time. His only obstacle now was getting past the wolf smell in the house.  
—

“I swear those two are like kids,” said Jinki as he put an empty box to the side.

“Nothing I can’t get used to,” Minho said as he stood back, dusting off his hands in satisfaction as he examined the room. “I think that’s the last of it.”

Jinki stood next to him, examining the room as well, but in disappointment instead of satisfaction. “I’m sorry we don’t have a bed for you yet. I’ll get one tomorrow. Better yet, you can just get mine. It’s not like I need it for sleep anyway.”

Minho quickly shook his head no. “Don’t worry about it. I’ll be just fine with the couch in here. It’s actually quite comfy,” he said trying to reassure Jinki, but when he sat on it, it let out a loud creak due to how old it was. The springs in it were probably rusty.

Jinki’s face scrunched at the sound. “We’re definitely getting you a bed. Tomorrow for sure.”

Minho really didn’t mind the couch. He’d slept in worse places, so a couch was a luxury for him. However, he was quickly learning that when Jinki set his mind on something, it was best not to argue.

Jinki decided to sit on the couch next to Minho, sighing as he looked at the setup. It wasn’t much. Just a dingy green couch, a rug, and a nightstand with a lamp on it. Jinki wished he could make it a little cozier for Minho, but Minho was just fine with everything.

“So, I guess your friend really doesn’t want me here.” Minho said as he leaned back comfortably on the couch. Jinki looked on confused so he clarified by pointing to his ears. “Wolf hearing. It’s amazing. Even though I’m in human form, I still experience some canine perks.”

Jinki sighed in embarrassment. “I’m sorry you had to hear that. I don’t want you to feel like you’re not welcome here. This is your home now. You have every right to be here just as much as the rest of us. Don’t worry about Jonghyun. I’ll handle him.”

“It’s fine. I do have one question, though.”

“What?”

“Do I really stink?”

Jinki couldn’t help but burst out laughing at the unexpected question. “To be honest, your smell is kind of strong, but I don’t even think it’s a wolf thing, but more or a Minho thing. But to answer your question, no you don’t stink. Jonghyun’s just being dramatic. Besides, I’m used to your smell by now. It’s grown on me.”

Minho sniffed under his arms insecurely. “I just wish I knew what I smelled like.”

“It’s hard to explain, but don’t stress about it. It’s not like other humans can smell what I smell anyways, so you’re good.”

A comfortable silence fell over the two as they settled in the moment, continuing the look around the room. While scanning the room, Jinki caught a glimpse of two photos hung up on the wall. He focused on the first one, which was a photo of Minho hugging someone who looked quite similar to him.

Jinki smiled at the photo before pointing and asking, “Is that your sister?”

Minho looked to where Jinki was pointing before a smile slowly spread across his face. “Yeah, that’s her. Jinri.”

“Were you two close?”

“Yeah, very. She’s honestly the best little sister anyone could ask for, so hardworking and nurturing. Even though she’s younger, she used to take care of me at times, and I’ve always been grateful for it. Don’t get me wrong though. There were certainly times where we drove each other nuts.”

Jinki smiled, “That’s sweet. I wish I knew what that was like.”

“You didn’t have any siblings?”

Jinki shook his head no. “I was the only child. Even though my parents were doting and loving, I had quite a lonely childhood. No siblings, no cousins, not many friends.”

Minho scrunched his brows. “Wow, that’s sad.”

“Yeah,” Jinki nodded. He hated talking about his past because it was so long ago, it seemed like another life. There weren’t many bright moments in his past, so he tried his best not to think about it. “Anyway, what does your sister do?”

“Well, before I ran away, she’d just started college. So, I’m guessing she’s still in college. She should be either a junior or senior by now. That’s if she didn’t drop out, but I’m pretty sure she didn’t. Jinri’s smart. She’s not a quitter like me.”

Jinki gave Minho a comforting pat on the knee. “You’re not a quitter. You ran away because you believed it’s what you needed to do to keep everyone safe.”

Minho sighed. “I just miss everyone so much. I wonder how they’re all doing.”

Jinki then glanced over at the picture of Minho and another woman, noticing the large ring the woman was showing off. “That must be,” he trailed off unsure how to ask to question.

Minho nodded. “Yeah, my fiancé. Well, ex-fiancé.”

Jinki had a feeling this was probably a sore subject for Minho, so he decided to make light of the situation. “She’s pretty. Makes me wonder why she settled for a dud like you.”

Minho scoffed in fake offense. “Excuse me, but I’d have you know that I used to be quite the lady’s man.”

Jinki chuckled, “Used to being the operative word.”

“Yeah, yeah, yeah. It’s not like I want to be one any more anyway. I’m better off by myself. That way, I won’t hurt anyone.”

“What makes you think you’d hurt anyone?”

Minho deadpanned. “Is that a serious question?”

“I’m just saying. You don’t think you’ll ever try love again?”

Minho shook his head no. “I wouldn’t feel right, especially after already being engaged. What makes me think I could love someone else when I haven’t even fixed the reason that caused my first relationship to fail in the first place? I need to work on myself first before I even begin to think about anyone else.”

Jinki understood that more than anyone. There were people in his life that he had to distance himself from for their own safety, especially around the time he was first turned into a vampire. He didn’t have the same control that he has now, and he didn’t want his family or any other innocent person to suffer because of him. So, he ran away just like Minho had.

“What about you,” Minho asked. “You don’t plan on getting with anyone anytime soon?”

Jinki shrugged, images from his past that he didn’t want to remember rushing to his head. “I’m used to riding solo. It’s no big deal for me.”

“You can’t tell me there hasn’t been anyone out there trying to get with you. I mean, look at you. You’re quite a catch.”

Jinki blushed as he stuttered, not sure how to respond to that. He wasn’t used to getting compliments and wasn’t sure if Minho meant it or was just trying to be nice. “Um, thanks. And I guess no one has been able to sweep me off my feet yet.”

“I don’t see why not. I think maybe you’re not putting yourself out there enough.”

“Because I don’t want to. Just like you, I’d rather focus on myself for now and keep others safe.”

Minho nodded, not able to argue with that. It did make him sad though. Jinki was an ideal partner – nice, good looking, smart, caring, selfless, etc. Anyone would be lucky to have him. He just wished Jinki could find someone who would put as much energy into him that he puts into other people.

—

After such a long shift at the bar, Kibum walked out the back alley, finally able to remove the frown on his face that he usually sported. Ever since working as a bartender, that had always been a part of his façade. It was more of a defense mechanism, and people often took him more seriously, but what most people didn’t know was that he’s really a big softie and a sensitive guy.

The only person he showed his true colors to was Jonghyun. Kibum wasn’t sure why, but the guy interested him. He made him feel comfortable. Kibum was so used to being reserved and quiet, but whenever Jonghyun came around, he often found himself carrying the conversation because it was just so easy to talk to him.

It was just nice to finally have a genuine conversation with someone, especially because he didn’t have any friends. Literally none. Why? Because he made the mistake of choosing ‘love’ over friends. His ex-boyfriend didn’t like his friends for some reason, so he got rid of them just for him.

He also made the mistake of only being friends with his ex’s friends. It was great in the short run, but in the long run, he shouldn’t have done that because when they broke up, he not only broke up with his crazy ex, but he also was forced to give up on those friendships as well. No matter how much Kibum explained that his ex’s actions was what caused the breakup, those friends still chose to side with him since they knew him longer.

It’s not like he could go back to his childhood friends. They wanted absolutely nothing to do with him, and with good reason too. It was understandable since he basically chose a toxic relationship over them, but it didn’t make the reality of the situation hurt any less.

Now, years later, he was used to being alone. Even when he did have friends, he was more of an introvert, so he usually blended into the crowd. However, he still couldn’t explain why he was so drawn to Jonghyun.

Talking to him was so… fun? Kibum wasn’t sure if that was the right word to describe it, but it was always fun for him when they just talked about everyday things. It was just something about Jonghyun’s aura or his vibe. It was so inviting.

Maybe it’s because Kibum saw a bit of himself in Jonghyun. He didn’t know much about his life, but Kibum got the sense that he’s kind of a loner. That night at the bar before Taeyeon walked up to them, he remembered seeing Jonghyun sit there looking like a lost puppy. He could relate to the feeling.

Jonghyun’s personality also drew Kibum in because even though he was admittedly being pretty rude to him the first time they met, Jonghyun handled himself so well, it was impressive. Not to mention, the guy wasn’t bad looking, so that was a plus. But Kibum wasn’t looking for a relationship, especially after what he’d been lucky enough to escape from.

The drive home was one full of anxiety and dread. Why? Because of his family, more specifically, family dinner. They had it every Sunday at his parents’ house, which he didn’t know why because as religious as they were, his family was some of the biggest hypocrites he knew, using the Bible only when it benefited them.

Once he got home, he quickly went upstairs and took a shower, scrubbing off the strong scent of alcohol before his parents got home. They would have a fit if they smelled. He’d always known ever since childhood that it was best for him to take care of the problem before his parents ever noticed there was a problem.

As he got dressed for dinner, the dread kept building up the more he thought about it. His other family members would be coming over as well including his aunt, his aunt’s husband, his two uncles, and two of his annoying cousins, one his age and the other in high school.

The only person he was looking forward to seeing was his grandmother. He was starting to think she knew he was gay, but she seemed like she was waiting for him to tell her. That probably would never happen though because he was unsure of how to even bring that up. As long as she doesn’t call him out on it, he’s fine.

When dinner time came around, Kibum hoped that it would be a quick one. He was already tired from working all day at the bar. He really just wanted to sleep. That’s usually what he did after working such a long shift, but his family didn’t understand that.

Everything went as usual for the first hour. Kibum went downstairs, put on a fake small as he hugged everyone, except his grandmother because she always made him smile genuinely. He sat down and faded into the background as everyone talked and laughed over him.

“So, when are you going to find a nice girl?” Kibum mentally cringed at his dad’s question. He was hoping he’d been fortunate enough to be ignored throughout the whole meal, but he guessed not.

He shrugged, “I don’t know.”

“What do you mean you don’t know? I’m only getting older and I want grandkids. You’re my only child so I’m depending on you to continue the family line.”

His grandmother jumped in. “Stop badgering the boy. He doesn’t have to have kids if he doesn’t want to. Don’t pressure him to date.”

Kibum smiled slightly. “Thanks grandma.”

One of his uncles decided to chime in joking, “Maybe he’s not into girls!” He was laughing, but little did he know, it was true.

His dad instantly got defensive, as expected. “No, I didn’t raise my son to be gay. We won’t accept that nonsense in this house. Kibum, go ahead and tell them about all the girls you used to get in high school.”

Kibum almost rolled his eyes. Those girls were just his close friends that knew he was gay. Pretty much the whole school knew he was gay as well, just not his family. Somehow his dad convinced himself that those girls were his groupie or something.

His dad continued, “What about the two girlfriends you had that came to the house?”

Again, those were just close friends. They agreed to pretend to date him to tone down the gay rumors at school when he wasn’t fully out yet. He didn’t want it to spread to his family. That would’ve been a horror to live with.

His uncle hollered obnoxiously as he nudged Kibum. “Bummie had girlfriends?! Who knew you had it in ya!”

Kibum answered sarcastically in a monotone, “Yeah. I’m a real lady’s man.”

His older cousin scoffed. “Lady’s man? Yeah right. I bet you’ve never even been laid.”

Boy was he wrong on that one. Maybe he was right that he’d never had sex with a woman, but when it came to men, that was a different story.

His aunt gasped at her son. “Yonghwa, don’t speak of such things at the table! Besides, I bet Kibum’s waiting for marriage, right? It’s what the Lord would want.”

“Nonsense!” Said Kibum’s dad. “I mean, waiting is ideal, but if he slips up before then, the Lord will be forgiving.”

There goes the hypocrisy. So, the Lord can forgive him for having sex before marriage, but not for being gay, Key thought to himself. His family’s view on judgement was all messed up.

His grandma stepped in again. “For peeps sake, leave my poor grandson alone. Can’t you see you’re making him uncomfortable?”

“I’m sorry mom, but he’s a young man. At this moment in life, young men get curious about lots of things. But you’re right, it’s not appropriate for the dinner table. What is appropriate is him getting a girlfriend. Don’t you want great grandkids?”

“If Kibum doesn’t want children, then I’m just fine with him. Now can we please talk about something else?”

Kibum gave a sigh of relief when his dad agreed. However, his satisfaction didn’t last for too long because his dad changed the subject to another topic he wanted avoid talking about.

He asked, “So when are you going to get a real job?”

Kibum groaned as he placed his fork down, no longer having an appetite. “I like my job. It pays a lot-”

“Not more than a real-world job.”

“It pays enough for me to support myself.”

“Support yourself? How are you supporting yourself when you’re living here rent-free?”

“I’m living here until I save up enough to move out. I’ve already told you this.”

“Well, obviously that job doesn’t pay enough if it’s taking you so long-”

“Well, I’m sorry it takes more than five months to raise up enough money to move out while I’m also paying my own bills.”

His dad scoffed. “What bills?! Your phone bill? Car insurance? What else? That’s nothing.”

“You left out the bill from the student loan I’m still paying off, a pointless bill if you ask me.”

“Why couldn’t you be more like your cousin? He’s still in college and just got a great paid internship at a law firm, and what are you doing? Serving drinks to sinners.”

Kibum could feel his heart rate increase and the blood rush to his face, getting angrier by the second. “I’d rather do something fun for a living than fetch coffee for some rich asshole that assigns all the work to his interns, but takes all the credit. Yeah, real rewarding-”

“Hey! Watch your mouth! We don’t speak like that in this house.”

“Oh really? Then what is it that we do in this house then? Belittle me? Constantly remind me that I’m not the trophy son you wanted? Constantly pressure me to find a girl, get married, and have a bunch of kids? Need I remind you that you and mom had me out of wedlock?”

“We’re saved now.”

Kibum groaned. Saved his ass. His parents were the biggest frauds in the world. All they did was find reasons to make him feel like nothing he did was good enough, like he’d never be the perfect son they’ve always wanted. Just because they’ve made mistakes in their lives didn’t mean they could redeem themselves by forcing their beliefs onto him.

His mom added, “Kibum, you should listen to your father. He just wants the best for you. We all do. And it hurts me as your mom to see you not happy with someone.”

Oh, he’s been happy plenty of times with plenty of people. They just weren’t the right gender according to his parents.

His stupid cousin butted in again. “Yeah, Kibum. And your dad’s right about the job thing. I mean, how would you feel having to bartend for the rest of your life? Do you think some club’s going to hire you when you’re 60? There’s no longevity. It’s not too late to go back to school and get a business degree.”

“Yeah,” said his uncle. “Listen to your cousin. My boy has been making me so proud. I’m sure you’ll do the same to your parents one day.”

That stung. That really stung. Kibum had always joked with himself that he knew his parents were disappointed in him, but hearing from someone else’s mouth that his parents weren’t proud of him really put things in perspective. And his parents had the nerve to nod their heads at his uncle’s statement instead of saying something a normal parent would say, like oh maybe ‘don’t say that. We love our son. We’re very proud of him.’

But nope. He got nothing. Except from his grandmother of course.

She spoke up, “Don’t you say that about my grandson. I’m very proud of him. He’s a young man doing something he loves. Now, I’ve had enough of you talking bad about him. If I hear anymore foolishness, I’m leaving.”

But of course, his dad missed the message by replying, “We’re just being honest, mom. He needs some tough love. I’m not saying I’m not proud of him. I just wish he’d make better life choices. Just think about it. He’s not dating right now, he works at a bar, he even got his ears pierced last week!”

“Well, I think his ears look just fine. It’s nothing wrong with that.”

“Mom, the Lord said-”

Kibum could take it anymore. “May I be excused.”

The table went quiet for a second before his aunt replied. “You certainly may not. How rude of you to leave without finishing your dinner after me and your mom cooked for hours.”

“She’s right,” his father chimed. No shocker there. “You barely touched anything on your plate.”

“Oh,” Kibum said with a little sass coming out. “Maybe it’s because I lost my appetite.”

“Well, I don’t care. I want to see you finish everything on that plate-”

“You’re excused,” said his lovely grandmother. “Don’t worry about it, dear. I’ll give the rest to the dog, so it’s not wasted.”

Before his family could say otherwise, he quickly got up, his chair making a loud squeak against the floor, and ran upstairs after mumbling, “Thanks, grandma.”

He slammed his door shut, sliding down onto the floor before gripping his hair in frustration. He was sick of being treated like a child. He had to get out of there. No matter how many sacrifices he had to make, he was making his escape. Too bad his grandma lived at a nursing home because that would’ve been his first choice to run away to.

Also, it’s not like he had any friends that would let him crash on their couch until he saved up. The only choice he had was to put up with his family’s BS a little longer until he could be out on his own. He was almost at the amount he’d set for himself, so just a few more months and he’d be free.


	6. Awake.

Three weeks later

Awake. 

It was as if a light had been switched, every ounce of darkness finally being consumed by light. That light became her savior — her savior from confusion, from being lost, from death. 

Her eyes opened, squinting painfully at the surrounding bright lights of the room. It took a few seconds for her vision to focus, but once it had, she looked around in a daze at the unfamiliar room. 

Where was she? How did she get there? Why couldn’t she remember anything leading up to that moment?

Her eyes traveled down her body, revealing that she was laying on an elevated metal table only in her underwear, dried blood dripping down her wrists, ankles, and neck. What was this? 

She began to panic slightly, hyperventilating before shortly stopping to grab her throat. It felt dryer than a desert, like she hadn’t drunk in years. She tried to swallow her spit, but it wasn’t working. It only made the feeling worse. 

That wasn’t the only thing she noticed. Her senses seemed to be really heightened. Her sense of smell was very sensitive, her eyes focused in on every detail in the room, and her hearing amplified the constant buzzing sound coming from the lights above. All of her senses were intensified, but she had no idea why. 

“You’re awake.”

The woman jumped, startled at the loud voice in the otherwise silent room. She turned her head to the right seeing a man with dark clothes entering the room with a smug smile on his face. 

The man continued to talk as he slowly walked closer to the table. “I was beginning to worry. I thought you’d never wake up.” 

He stopped walking right before he reached the table, busying himself with something on the counter. “With a wound like yours, not many people survive. You should count yourself lucky. I don’t turn many people, but you... I saw something special in you... Taeyeon.”

Taeyeon whimpered, talking with much difficulty, “H-How do you know my name?”

The man chuckled. “I know many things about you. As for how, I make it my business to know everything about everyone that gets involved in this life.”

Taeyeon’s voice quivered as fear began to set in. “W-What are you talking about? How did I get here? Where am I?!”

“Shhh,” he said calmly, giving her a gentle smile. “All of your questions will be answered in due time. As for now, just know that you’re safe.”

“Where’s my family? I want to go home.”

He walked closer, almost touching her hand, causing her to scramble into a fetal position. “Hey, don’t be afraid and don’t worry about your family. I’m your family now.”

Tears started spilling down her cheeks as the situation sank in. She had no idea what was going on. Was she a hostage? Did she get trapped into sex trafficking? Did this guy harm her or her family? There were so many questions she didn’t have the answer to. 

The guy crept closer to her in a stalking manner. “Aww, don’t cry. You’re too beautiful for that.”

She sniffed as she asked, “Who are you? What do you want from me?”

The man took a step back, giving a hearty laugh before answering, “I’m Keun-Suk. I’m going to take very good care of you. But first, how about we take care of your thirst, shall we?”

Taeyeon didn’t know what he meant, but as soon as the man slit his own wrists, her body took over, and within a second, her mouth latched onto his wrist sucking out as much blood as she desired. She was so confused on what was going on and why she was acting like this. Her mind told her to stop because this was weird and wrong, but her body told her to keep going, that she needed this to survive. 

Her actions were animalistic. As much as the rational side of her told her to pull away, her instincts wouldn’t allow that. She couldn’t even help the satisfied moans that escaped her lips. All she could rationalize was the fact that her thirst seemed to become nonexistent the more she continued to drink from his wrist. 

After a while, Keun-Suk tapped her head softly saying, “That’s enough, my little fledgling. There’s plenty more where that came from.”

Taeyeon retracted her fangs from his wrist and sat back in shock. She slowly touched her face feeling the blood dripping down from her lips. She looked up at him longingly, hoping that this was a dream. “What am I?”

Keun-Suk smiled as he leaned forward to Taeyeon’s face. “I’m glad you asked. Let’s take a trip down memory lane. Does the name Kim Jonghyun ring a bell?”

—  
Present

Waking up in a new home felt so foreign to Minho. Yes, he had the camper, but it was never cozy enough to be considered a home. He was always on alert due to the constant noises of the woods. Now, living in a place with an actual room, lighting, and AC felt like a dream. He even had cable! Everything in the house seemed like a luxury, a fantasy, and he had Jinki to thank for it. 

The older man was simply too kind for words, and Minho felt a little bad for taking up space in Jinki’s home, but he knew that Jinki would’ve kept insisting on him staying if he’d said no. So, for now, he’d just sit back and enjoy the moment. 

Minho let out a satisfied yawn as he stretched in his new bed. Regardless of him denying that he needed a bed, Jinki insisted on giving Minho his own from upstairs. At the moment, Minho was thankful for that because he had one of the best sleeps he’d had in a while. 

The situation was a bit surreal because Jinki was the complete opposite of everything Minho’d ever known about vampires. He wasn’t mean-spirited, greedy, evil, relentless, shallow, or blood thirsty. He was even nicer than most wolves he’d come across in the past. Minho was beginning to wonder if it was a vampire thing or just a Jinki thing. 

Checking the clock on his nightstand, Minho groaned knowing he’d have to get up to get ready for work soon. At least he didn’t have to wake up as early as he used to since he was closer to his job now. Still didn’t suppress the dread, though. 

He reluctantly got up, but stopped in his tracks when he smelled something in the air. It smelled like food, which confused him because he thought vampires couldn’t eat, and he was damn sure Taemin didn’t have an appetite. 

The curious wolf inside him led him out of the bed to check out what was going on upstairs. He walked up the basement stairs towards the kitchen, stopping shortly at the entrance once he laid eyes upon the funny sight. Jinki was standing at the stove with an apron tied around his waist while Taemin stood by his side coaching him, or rather shouting, about how to make breakfast. 

“No, Jinki! You have to hurry and scramble the eggs. They’re going to get stuck to the pan!”

“I’m trying! I can’t turn the bacon and scramble the eggs at the same time!”

“That’s why you cook the eggs last! It doesn’t take long and it’s the easiest thing to make. Omg, Jinki, take pan off the stove, it’s on fire!”

Minho snickered into his hand, unable to hold back his laughter, as he watched Jinki run swiftly to the kitchen sink with the burning pan. It was quite theatrical.

Taemin groaned hopelessly before finally noticing Minho’s presence. His mood instantly shifted as he brightly greeted, “Hey, Minho!”

Jinki turned around shocked to see that the young wolf was already up. He was too distracted by the commotion in the kitchen to notice his scent. With a sheepish smile, he greeted Minho, “Good morning.”

Minho slowly walked further into the kitchen in amusement. “Hey. What’s going on in here?”

Jinki sighed in defeat as he dried his hands on his apron. “Well, you’re the only one in the house that survives solely on food, so I was trying to do a nice thing and cook breakfast for you before work.” 

Taemin piped in, “I tried to help too, but as you can see, it didn’t go too well. He even burnt the toast!”

“Hey,” Jinki said in fake offense, “Technology’s a little different these days.”

“Oh, please. I’m pretty sure they had stoves back in medieval times.”

Jinki paused before asking, “How old do you actually think I am?”

Taemin shrugged, “Old enough not to know how to work a toaster.” 

Minho watched the two playfully go back and forth, touched that they cared so much and tried to make him feel welcomed. For the past three years of his life, he was used to fending for himself and not having anyone else around to depend on. He couldn’t even remember the last time someone cooked for him, whether they burned the food or not.

“Thanks,” Minho said, cutting off their bickering. “It means a lot.”

“You shouldn’t be thanking me. I burnt everything.”

“It’s ok. I usually just eat cereal anyway, but I really appreciate it, guys.”

Taemin gasped and said to Jinki, “See, I told you to buy cereal! You can never go wrong with that.”

Curious about the scene, Minho walked over to assess the damage. The eggs were burnt and stuck to the pan. The bacon was charcoal black. The pancakes looked like lumpy play-doh, and yes indeed, the toast was burnt as well, but it was still salvageable in his opinion.

He picked up the toast before saying, “With a good scraping, this toast will be as good as new.”

Jinki groaned in embarrassment before saying with sincerity, “I’ll pay for your breakfast at the hospital.”

Minho quickly reassured, “No, no. It’s ok. I’m not a breakfast person anyway.”

“Well, at least let me pay for your lunch. It’s the least I can do.”

Minho knew that Jinki would keep insisting, so he finally gave in. “I can do lunch,” he said, which made Jinki smile.

Taemin said almost too quickly for anyone to hear, “So, is it a bad time to bring up that I want you to invite my brother over today?”

Jinki’s smile quickly left his face upon hearing Taemin’s question. “What?” 

“I was afraid you’d react that way.”

“Taemin, I don’t think that’s a good idea.”

He whined, “Why?”

“Because if I remember correctly, the last time your brother was here, he left soaking wet.”

Minho chimed in, “Wait, why was his brother soaking wet?”

Taemin answered, “I broke the pipes, but never mind that. The point is I just want to see him, to talk to him even though he can’t hear me. I just want to be around someone from my past because it makes me feel alive again. You’ve got to understand that right, Jinki?”

Jinki sighed, perplexed by the situation. The main reason why he didn’t want to invite Taemin’s brother over was the fact that Taemin still didn’t have control over himself. It’s dangerous. Who’s to say something worse than the pipes spraying water on his brother wouldn’t happen? Who’s to say Taemin couldn’t do something that could unintentionally harm his brother? It was a risk Jinki wasn’t willing to take.

However, Jinki was starting to develop a soft spot for Taemin. The broken lost look on his face always bothered him, and he always wished he could help Taemin figure out this ghost thing sooner. As bright and bubbly as Taemin was, Jinki could always sense a sorrowful presence with the young ghost, and it broke his heart. If inviting Taesun over would help Taemin cope, maybe it wouldn’t be a bad idea.

“Look,” he started out slowly. “The reason I’m so hesitant is because you still don’t have control over your emotions yet. You get too excited, then a light bulb breaks. You get too upset, then the pipes spray water all over your brother. I’m just worried that something tragic could happen-”

“But, I would never hurt my brother-”

“Not intentionally, but I don’t feel comfortable leaving you alone with him.”

“Well, how about you invite him when you’re still home. He’s supposed to come to fix the pipes again right? You can observe and monitor me to make sure nothing goes wrong. Please, Jinki. I never get to see him. Just please do me this one favor, and I’ll never ask again.”

There goes Jinki’s heartstrings again. Just the desperate look on Taemin’s face alone was killing him. Even though Taemin’s plea was a good one, Jinki still had some reservations.

“I’m not saying yes and I’m not saying no, but we’ll see.”

Taemin perked up and clapped his hands in excitement. “Ok!” Whenever his parents used to say ‘we’ll see,’ he always ended up getting what he wanted.

Jinki continued, “In the meantime, I need you practicing.”

Minho asked in confusion, “Practicing what?”

Taemin answered, “How to be a ghost. Apparently, I suck at it.”

Minho still didn’t get it, but he didn’t want to pry. He figured it was something they knew about before he moved in. He turned to go back to the basement to get ready for work, but he was stopped by the voice of someone entering the kitchen.

Jonghyun trudged into the kitchen asking, “Why does it smell burnt in here-” He paused once he caught a whiff of the dog smell that overpowered the stench of the kitchen, glancing over at Minho with a blank stare.

Minho stood there awkwardly not knowing if he should say anything or not. He decided to be polite and outstretched his hand towards Jonghyun saying, “Hey, I’m Minho. Nice to properly meet you.”

Jonghyun just looked at his hand for a few seconds in a grimace before saying, “Don’t give me a reason to kill you.” At that, he left the kitchen shouting over his shoulder, “I’ll be out late again, don’t wait up for me.”

Once the front door slammed shut, there was a few seconds of awkward silence before Jinki piped in. “Well, that went better than expected.” 

Taemin scoffed. “Really? Better than expected? He’s such a prick. ‘Don’t give me a reason to kill you.’ Who says stuff like that?”

Minho shrugged it off. “It’s whatever. I’m not bothered by it-”

“Well, I am. I swear to you, Minho, once I get a control on this ghost thing, I’m getting Jonghyun back so good for the both of us.”

Minho grinned as he moved toward the kitchen’s entrance. “I look forward to it. Anyway, I guess I’ll go ahead and get ready for work. It shouldn’t take me too long, Jinki.”

“It’s no rush,” Jinki said kindly. “Take as long as you need.” Minho nodded and proceeded to walk downstairs.

Once Minho was out of sight, Jinki turned his attention to Taemin. “Please try to practice again and don’t give up.”

Taemin groaned, “But it’s so hard. Even lifting one sheet of paper feels like I’m moving a ton of bricks. It takes so much energy out of me, Jinki-”

“All the more reason you need to continue to try. If you continue to give up every time things get hard, how do you expect to progress?”

“Luck?” Taemin said in an attempt at humor, but he quickly cowered once he saw that his attempt failed.

Jinki sighed. “I need you to be more serious, Taemin. I can’t help you if you don’t want to help yourself.”

Taemin sighed, looking down at the floor. “Yeah, I know. I’ll try harder. I promise.”

Jinki gave a comforting smile toward Taemin before walking off to get ready for work as well.

—

“Well, look at you being all mysterious,” said Kibum as he approached a silent Jonghyun sitting miserably at the bar top. The lone vampire had been there for nearly two hours and still hadn’t spoken to the young bartender.

Jonghyun shook his head. “Just a lot on my mind.”

Kibum sighed. “You always have a lot on your mind, don’t you?”

“Yeah.” Sensing that Jonghyun didn’t want to be bothered today, Kibum walked off to tend to the other customers in the bar. Maybe it was best to leave him to himself, he thought.

After the awkward interaction with Minho that morning, Jonghyun’s conscience was clouded with so many competing thoughts, so he did what he usually does and made a trip down to the bar again. Ironically, it was becoming a place where he could sit down and actually think about what’s going on in his immortal life. 

He didn’t mean to ignore Kibum today, but he was contemplating so many things that it was hard for him to acknowledge his surroundings at the moment, the main issue being Keun-Suk. Jonghyun didn’t expect for it to be so hard to detach himself from the supreme elder. Usually, rogue vampires were shunned and ignored by society upon their exit, so Jonghyun thought he wouldn’t have much of a problem when he decided to leave The Order along with Jinki.

However, Keun-Suk was proving that he wouldn’t let go of him that easily.

Another situation that rubbed Jonghyun the wrong way was this wolf situation. Jonghyun and Jinki had been in the new city for barely a week, and Jinki was already moving random people into their house? For someone Jonghyun considered to be mature, wise, and regal, Jinki had been acting really irrational lately. Bringing a wolf anywhere near them would draw unnecessary attention towards them and make them prime targets if The Order ever found out. Jinki knew that, so why would he continue to pursue the idea of allowing a werewolf to live with them? Jonghyun had no idea. Nowadays, Jonghyun was beginning to wonder where Jinki’s loyalty lied. 

That, along with Taemin taking up space, was beginning to drive him insane.

However, who’s he to talk? It was barely a week and he’d already killed an innocent woman. As much as he wanted to move passed it, he couldn’t help thinking of her at times. It’s one of the few things in life he regretted, and he wished he could go back in time and reverse everything, but he knew he couldn’t dwell on it forever. He needed to use the situation as a learning experience so the next attractive person he talked to didn’t end up as a victim.

Jonghyun was pulled out of his thoughts when he heard some commotion taking place across the bar. He was going to ignore it, writing it off as some annoying rowdy customers, until he heard a person shout, “I said no!”

The person sounded like Kibum, and once Jonghyun turned to look at the scene, he saw Kibum arguing with some man twice his height. The guy was staggering and extremely jittery, leading Jonghyun to believe that the man was under the influence of something. What, he didn’t know. But what he did know was that Kibum seemed really uncomfortable.

Jonghyun decided to hone in on his senses so he could hear and understand what was going on from across the bar.

He heard Kibum say as clear as day with a tired voice, “Please, leave me alone.”

The tall man scoffed, answering in a slur, “I will once you bring me another shot!” It was barely noon and this guy was already drunk?

Kibum rolled his eyes in clear aggravation. “For the millionth time, I can’t give you another one. You’ve reached your limit-”

“Says who?!”

“Says the rules! You’re acting belligerent, and I’m not allowed to serve you anymore alcohol if you’re this wasted already.”

“Oh really,” he said as he quirked a brow. “Well, if I can’t get a shot, then how about you give me a little something else instead? Think of it as good customer service.”

At that, Jonghyun heard Kibum’s heartrate quicken, signaling that he was getting nervous and anxious.

Kibum scrunched his face up in apparent disgust. “I’m not interested. Now, get your drunk ass out of here. You’re causing a disturbance.”

“Disturbance? Do you know who you’re talking to?!” The man got closer to Kibum’s face, resulting in Kibum’s quickened heartrate intensifying. It was a thunderous sound to Jonghyun’s ears, and it was getting hard to ignore.

Kibum stood his ground though, which was beyond impressive. “I don’t give a damn who you are! I need you to leave me the hell alone and get the fuck out! Now, before I call the cops.”

A flash of anger spread across the man’s face as he moved forward to roughly grab Kibum’s arm, but before that could happen, Jonghyun quickly sprang into action, shoving his way across to the other side of bar, grabbing the man’s wrist before he could make contact with Kibum.

“He said to leave him alone,” Jonghyun said menacingly.

The man shoved Jonghyun’s hand off as he shouted, “Stop cockblocking and get your own!”

The man made another attempt to pursue Kibum, but Jonghyun blocked his path. “I don’t think you understood me.” Jonghyun really didn’t anticipate getting into a fight today, but he had time. “He’s clearly not interested.”

“Bullshit! I always get what I want, and if I can’t get a drink, then I’m getting his fine ass. Now, move shorty!”

The man attempted to shove Jonghyun to the side, but was taken aback by the shorter male’s strength when he grabbed him by the collar and slammed him against the wall, giving a murderous look. “Leave!”

Jonghyun could smell the fear on this guy, and all he could think of was the fact that this guy better be lucky that he’s reformed because if this were Jonghyun from 100 years ago, this guy would’ve been slain already.

At that moment, a group of men came and basically dragged the drunk man away, apologizing for their friend’s behavior. And just like that, the few customers in the bar returned to their business and the atmosphere of the place seemed to go back to normal as if nothing happened.

However, Kibum still seemed shaken up.

Jonghyun looked over at Kibum, taking in his small trembling frame before asking, “Are you ok?” 

A few seconds passed before Kibum nodded, answering in a low voice, “Yeah, I’m fine. Thanks.”

Jonghyun went to place a comforting had on Kibum’s shoulder, but before he could, the teary-eyed bartender shoved passed him and made his way out of the bar.

Jonghyun felt overwhelmed by the amount of emotion he could sense coming from Kibum. It was almost sickening, and it was quite obvious that the younger wasn’t ok. He quickly followed Kibum into the alley behind the bar, stopping only when Kibum did so, sobbing into his hands as his back faced Jonghyun.

“Kibum,” Jonghyun whispered. “Are you sure you’re ok-”

“Why do you care?!” Kibum turned around unexpectedly shouting at Jonghyun with a trembling voice.

Jonghyun stood there dumbfounded at the outburst, unsure on how to answer. Why did he care so much? Why did seeing Kibum so upset make him want to chase that guy down and finish him off? Why did he feel like he needed to fix the situation even though he wasn’t obligated to do so?

He answered slowly, “Because, we’re friends?” At least that’s what he rationalized in his head.

Kibum looked at Jonghyun for a moment before scoffing and shaking his head in disbelief, wiping away a fallen tear. Friends? He didn’t have friends. No one wanted to be his friend, so why now? 

“Oh really? You don’t seem so sure of it.”

“I’m serious,” said Jonghyun as he walked closer to Kibum. “I’m…worried. I hate that this had to happen to you.”

Kibum sniffed before shrugging halfheartedly. “It’s whatever. Not the first drunk asshole I’ve had to deal with in my life.”

“Still, though. That shouldn’t have happened. Is there not security here?”

Kibum snorted almost in amusement. “With what money? My boss is so fucking cheap, he’d rather we handle situations ourselves or call the cops before he’d ever decide to hire bouncers. Although,” he trailed as he cocked his head to the side, “you seemed to handle that guy pretty well. Maybe you should be security.”

Jonghyun quirked a brow. He wasn’t sure if Kibum was joking or not since his eyes were still teary, but he wanted to lighten the mood. “For free? How much do you think I’m worth?”

Kibum rolled his eyes, sniffing again before teasing, “A can of Sprite? I mean you’re here all day anyways. May as well put those muscles to use, right?”

As entertaining as the thought was, working in a bar full of drunk humans wasn’t a good idea. There’s a reason why Jonghyun spent most of his day there instead of going there at night. There were less humans around in the day, meaning less people to potentially hurt.

“I’m flattered, but no.”

Kibum gave a weak smile before frowning again. “Sorry for yelling at you.”

Jonghyun quickly shook his head. “It’s ok. You were upset, don’t apologize.”

Kibum sniffed again, wiping away the last tear that escaped his eyes. It was quiet for a few seconds before he decided to ask. “Do you really think of me as a friend?” 

He was little afraid to ask that question because he didn’t want Jonghyun to take it back. He was afraid that maybe he’d misheard the shorter male. He also hated how insecure he sounded, but he had to make sure.

Kibum’s insecurity didn’t go unnoticed by Jonghyun. The fact that someone like Kibum, a bartender with a lively personality, could feel this unsure about someone being his friend didn’t sit well with him. 

Jonghyun gave a small smile as he answered. “Of course. You’re the only person I look forward to seeing most days.” And that wasn’t a lie. It was a shame that he was more content with seeing Kibum nowadays than his own best friend, but it was a truth he couldn’t deny. 

Kibum smiled slightly before sighing, pushing his hair back in a swift motion. He spaced out again before saying, “How am I going to be able to make it through the rest of the night?”

Jonghyun couldn’t help but feel bad. Although Kibum seemed to be cheering up, Jonghyun could still tell that this whole situation was really affecting him. His breathing was still heavy, and although his heartrate slowed, it was still beating faster than normal.

He was so used to seeing Kibum being confident and unphased by the majority of things. So, seeing the bartender so shaken up really had an effect on him.

More than anything, he was confused on why he cared so much. Maybe it was because he wanted to do something nice for once. Or maybe it was because Kibum reminded him a little of Taeyeon. As much as he didn’t want to admit, the bartender was just as beautiful as she had been, and he also had a bold personality with a good sense of humor. 

A small part of him felt like being around Kibum could be some kind of redemption. It was his chance to get to know someone the right way, without ripping their throat out in the end. 

Not to mention, he’d grown a little attached to Kibum over the short period of time they’d known each other. So, seeing Kibum so upset really hit him harder than he would’ve expected. He just wanted to make things right and help Kibum forget all about what had just happened. 

He decided to say, “Let’s go somewhere tonight.”

Kibum turned to Jonghyun as he raised his brows in surprise. Was he asking him to hang out? He was shocked mainly because no one had ever asked him to go out nowadays besides his family, and that rarely ever happened. He was so used to not having friends, or even acquaintances, that he forgot that normal people actually went out and socialized. Normal people actually had fun with other people.

But of course, in true Kibum fashion, and much to Jonghyun’s satisfaction, he toyed with the question by playfully asking, “What makes you think I want to spend my free time you with?”

Jonghyun wasn’t expecting that response, but he was slowly starting to realize that Kibum was a very sarcastic person. That’s part of what made him so interesting.

Jonghyun answered, “Well, I did save you today. I think that’s reason enough.”

Kibum rolled his eyes and walked off passed Jonghyun, shouting over his shoulder, “I’ll let you know.”

Jonghyun stood there dumbfounded on the fact that Kibum couldn’t just give him a straight answer, but the smirk on the younger man’s face was enough for him to know that the plan was on.

– 

As promised, Jinki paid for Minho’s lunch. He still felt incredibly embarrassed at the failed attempt of cooking breakfast that morning. Not only was he embarrassed that he basically burned everything, but getting berated by a young ghost not even twice your age really does something to your ego.

Nevertheless, everything worked out. He was glad he paid for Minho’s meal because the guy was ravaging it like a wild animal. Minho was so used to only eating Jell-O and pudding for lunch that when Jinki offered to actually buy him a meal, he was in heaven.

“It’s so weird having you watch me eat. I keep forgetting you don’t survive off of food,” Minho said with a mouth full of ribs.

“Sorry, I don’t mean to stare,” Jinki said as he continued to look on in amazement at how fast Minho was scarfing everything down, “But maybe slow down a bit? You’re going to give yourself indigestion.”

Minho snorted in amusement. “Ok, doc. Thanks for the recommendation.”

Jinki chuckled. “I’m serious. If you don’t slow down, you’ll end up being my next patient.”

“Would that be so bad?”

“Look, when you get heartburn, don’t say I didn’t tell you so.”

“You wouldn’t be saying that if you could taste how good this is.” Minho pushed his tray forward and gestured towards a fry. 

“Go on, try it.”

“Minho, no matter how good it is, I won’t be able to taste it. My taste buds stopped working a long time ago.”

“But you told me there are some foods you can taste. Maybe this is it.”

Jinki knew that fries tasted like nothing but air to him, but he decided to try one anyway so Minho could be satisfied. Minho waited with an expectant look as Jinki slowly chewed on the fry in his mouth. Jinki so desperately wished he could enjoy it, but he didn’t want to lie to the wolf.

“Nothing,” he said as he shook his head. “It just tastes bland.”

Minho frowned. “That’s a bummer,” He said before turning his attention to the burger on his plate. “It’s really tasty.”

“I’ll take your word for it.”

Right as Jinki was about to scold Minho on how fast he was eating his burger, he caught a glimpse of someone in the hallway walking passed the cafeteria doors. He hoped his eyes were playing tricks on him. There’s no way this person could be here. It was someone he never thought he’d see again, and who truly didn’t belong on this side of town.

“I’ll be right back, Minho.”

Minho nodded, swallowing his food before asking, “Where are you going?”

“Just some things I need to take care of.”

With that, Jinki got up and exited the cafeteria, swiftly following the mysterious man from a distance. Why was he here? Where was he going? What was he looking for?

Jinki followed the man all the way to the opposite wing of the hospital where the morgue existed. Upon entering the morgue, he saw the man looking around the room as if he were in search of something. Jinki didn’t know what, but he had a clue.

He made his presence known by saying, “There’s no blood in here if that’s what you’re looking for…Siwon.”

At the sound of the familiar voice, Siwon turned around with an amused smile on his face. “Nice to see you again, Jinki.”

“I can’t say the same. What are you doing here?”

“What does it look like? With the clan running low on blood these days, our supreme leader has given me the task of finding more – resources.”

“Well, I’m sorry to tell you, but you’ve wasted your time. This will not be a blood shop for The Order. Your supreme leader needs to look elsewhere.”

Siwon gave a confused expression. “I thought you were back. Ever since Jonghyun-”

“What Jonghyun did was a mistake he deeply regrets. His slipup doesn’t automatically mean we’re back in the society.”

“But Keun-Suk said-”

“Keun-Suk is very manipulative and will say anything he feels will get him what he wants-”

“Hey! Don’t speak ill of our leader!”

“He’s not my leader anymore.”

Siwon scoffed. “How ungrateful. Keun-Suk took you in, cared for you, was loyal to you, and this is how you show your gratitude? You abandon the clan when we need you the most? You know nothing of loyalty.”

“And you think Keun-Suk does?”

“I know he does. Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m on the hunt for blood for my leader and clan. You’re in the way.”

“I told you, you’re not going to find any blood here.”

“Maybe not any blood bags, but how about the lovely humans in this hospital? There’s plenty walking around. It’s like an all-you-can-eat buffet.”

Jinki took a defensive stance, “You will not lay a single hand on any of my patients.”

Siwon chuckled in fake amusement. “Oh, Jinki. I wasn’t asking.”

With vampire speed, Siwon made a dash passed Jinki in attempt to run out the door. Unfortunately for him, Jinki was just as fast and caught the vampire by his throat before slamming him down onto the ground, creating cracks in the floor.

Siwon bared his fangs and Jinki did the same. Too quick for Jinki to register, Siwon sent a powerful kick into his chest, causing him to fly into a wall, cracking in it as well.

The two vampires were about to attack each other again when the door to the morgue opened, stopping both of them in their tracks. Minho came in with a confused look as he saw the state of the room. The crack on the floor was massive and the dented wall really threw him off. He had no idea what was going on, but the look on Jinki’s face was telling.

“Is everything alright,” Minho slowly asked as he approached Jinki while staring at the guy across the room.

Breathing heavily, Jinki answered, “Yeah. Go back and-”

He was cut off by Siwon letting out another amused chuckle as he spoke. “Ahh, what have we here? A werewolf? I’m sure Keun-Suk would love to hear about this.”

Jinki sneered. “Yeah, well be sure to tell him the hospital’s off limits while you’re at it.”

“I’ll let him be the judge of that. Anyway, I best be off now. I’ve wasted too much time here already. But just know this. If my leader allows it, I’ll be back, old friend.” Using his vampiric speed, he quickly left the room.

Minho stood there dumbfounded because he didn’t know that guy was a vampire too. Just how many of them were roaming the city?

“Should we go after him,” he asked with wide eyes.

Jinki shook his head in protest. “No, he won’t do anything for now.”

“Who was that?”

“A clan member. As to why he’s here, I have no idea.”

Minho nodded, examining his surroundings again before asking, “What happened to the floor and the wall?”

“We got into a fight.”

Minho was astonished. A fight? Jinki was in a fight? The nicest vampire he’d ever met got into a fight? No way. He was kind of proud. He didn’t know the elder vampire had it in him. Minho grinned as he asked, “Did you win?”

Jinki groaned and rolled his eyes. “That’s besides the point.”

“How are we going to explain this mess to the hospital?”

Jinki scratched the back of his head. “Yeah, I haven’t quite figured that out yet.”

“Maybe you don’t have to say anything at all. I know I wouldn’t. Maybe just say you walked in on the place like this. Or-”

Jinki didn’t mean to zone Minho out, but as he was talking, a figure slowly walking past the window of the door caught his attention. From where he was standing, he couldn’t tell who or what it was, but it didn’t look normal. After his run-in with Siwon, he wasn’t sure what to trust.

“Did you see that?” Jinki asked.

Minho stopped his rambling and turned to look in the direction that Jinki was staring. “See what?”

“Someone’s out there. You don’t sense it?”

“No, I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Jinki nearly facepalmed. “Aren’t canines supposed to have a sixth sense or something?”

Minho scoffed in fake offense. “Well, excuse me. I don’t actually have the hang of this whole wolf thing, now do I?”

Jinki shushed Minho as he took a peek around the corner of the door. He wasn’t sure who or what was out there, so he needed to be as cautious as possible. Minho quietly followed behind him still confused, but he wanted to be near Jinki in case something serious happened.

Their movements stopped upon the sight of the person in question.

It was a male. He looked like he was in his early 20’s, had dark brown hair, tan skin, and he was quite tall. Upon further examination, Jinki noticed dark red blood stains on the center of the white shirt underneath the young man’s plaid long-sleeved shirt. He wasn’t sure if this guy was a patient or a lost guest, but he looked like he needed help.

Jinki stepped out further into the young man’s line of sight before saying, “Excuse me?”

The young man looked his direction with an expressionless face before turning to walk in an opposite direction. What was going on?

Jinki tried again. “Sir? Hey, you with the plaid shirt.”

The young man turned around with a shocked expression on his face. He pointed to himself asking, “You’re talking to me?”

Jinki nodded. “Yes. Are you lost? Do you need help? Are you hurt?”

The young man looked down touching the blood on his chest. He furrowed his brows in contemplation. “No, I-I’m not hurt.”

Minho whispered to Jinki, “Do you think he’s a patient here? He’s obviously injured, but he’s saying he’s not hurt. Maybe he left his room and wandered down here somehow?”

“Impossible. You know how secure the patients’ rooms are. They’re always being monitored. Someone would’ve reported a lost man with a bloody chest by now.”

The young man interrupted in disbelief. “So, wait. You really can see me? This isn’t a trick?”

Minho asked, “Why wouldn’t we be able to see you?” He was starting to believe the man escaped an asylum.

It took a few moments, but Minho and Jinki suddenly faced each other as they finally figured out the situation. Jinki wasn’t sure yet, but his person reminded him a lot of Taemin. If he were right, something beneficial could come out of this.

Jinki asked, “What’s your name?” When the man showed hesitation, he quickly added, “It’s ok. You can trust us. I believe we can help you, but we need to know some things first. Like your name?”

“Kim Jongin.”

Kim Jongin? From his memory, there hadn’t been any deaths by that name this week, so this couldn’t have been a recent passing. “How old are you?”

Jongin gave a pained expression as he struggled to think of an answer. “I don’t know. I don’t remember.”

He doesn’t remember? Memory loss of basic information is a symptom for most ghosts who’ve been stuck on earth for too long, Jinki noted.

Jongin continued, “I remember being 24 when I died, but ever since then, I’ve lost track of time.”

Jinki nodded. He was afraid of Taemin getting to that point. That’s why he wanted to help him as soon as possible. The longer his soul lingered on earth, the more complicated things would become such as memory loss.

Jongin asked, “How exactly can you two see me? Do you know I’m a ghost? I’ve been marching around this hospital for I-don’t-know-how long, and I’ve never been acknowledged, not even by the other spirits down here.”

“I’m a-”

“That’s not important,” Jinki said cutting Minho off. He didn’t want to scare away this spirit by admitting they’re mythical creatures. He wasn’t even sure if the guy would believe them. “I’m interested in you, Jongin. How long have you been down here stuck in this hospital?”

“I’m not sure. And I’m not necessarily stuck here. I travel outside of the hospital often to see the city. When I died, my family decided to move to another city, I guess to escape the pain. Either way, I don’t have a home to return to. So, I usually just stay at the hospital.”

Jinki looked to Minho as he contemplated something important in his mind. He wasn’t sure if this would work, but what better way to teach Taemin how to be a ghost than to actually learn from a ghost. Jinki knew some tricks, but he wasn’t a ghost himself. He couldn’t be there physically for Taemin. He knew that Jongin could do a better job, but that’s only if he could get the young spirit to agree to it.  
He walked closer to Jongin as he asked, “How would you like to have a new home in exchange for your help?” Minho immediately knew where Jinki was going with this.

Jongin looked on in confusion. “What do you mean?”

“I mean, I have a friend at home who’s just like you, accept he’s a little weak and could use some help. He can’t remember how he died and no matter how hard he tries, he’s unable to leave the house. I’ve been trying my best to help him out, but I’m not a ghost. I can’t physically be there for him and show him the way. But you can.”

Jongin still looked unconvinced. “Are you serious? What makes you think I’m any good at teaching someone how to be a ghost?”

“You’re right. I don’t know if you’re any good, but that’s how desperate I am to help my friend out. If anything, you can just offer him some advice that’ll help him cope. He’s been having a really hard time and I can’t always be there for him the way I want to.”

Minho chimed in, “And I’m sure you’d rather enjoy the atmosphere of our place than this depressing hospital, don’t you think? It’s a little overcrowded.”

“You’re not wrong about that,” Jongin said as he looked around at the dingy place. It was really depressing there, and he hadn’t made many friends. He always felt out of place with the spirits there. Maybe it would be a good idea to get out and meet new people. He just couldn’t help feeling weird about it because these were strangers.

“And what’s in it for me?”

Jinki knew this was probably crossing the line, but he desperately needed Jongin and knew this would get him to agree. “We won’t abandon you like your family did.”

That seemed to really hit a spot for Jongin. When he showed no signs up speaking, Jinki pleaded, “Please, Jongin. We could really use your help.”

Jongin still wasn’t sure he could trust these two. However, their offer was tempting, and the sincerity on their faces didn’t go unnoticed. “Ok.”

—

8:37 PM

After convincing his boss that he needed the rest of the night off, Kibum decided to take Jonghyun up on his offer. He’d had a really stressful day and if he’d spent another hour in that bar, he would’ve gone insane.

Jonghyun decided to take Kibum to the movies because where else do humans go in their free time? Kibum was really persistent on seeing a recent rom-com that came out this year, so Jonghyun happily tagged along.

He tried to enjoy the movie. He really did, but for the duration of the movie, Jonghyun’s thoughts were clouded by his own paranoia. Instead of focusing on the movie, he could only focus on the amount of heartbeats he could hear overpowering his thoughts. He could only focus on the mixture of smells coming from the vast amount of people enclosed in the theater. 

“Jonghyun?” He snapped out of his thoughts when he looked over to see a concerned look on Kibum’s face. “Are you ok? I asked if you were enjoying the movie, but you look spaced out.”

Jonghyun raised his brows before quickly giving a smile. “Sorry, I was so caught up in the movie that I didn’t hear you. I’m enjoying it though.”

Kibum smiled back before turning his attention to the movie again.

Surprisingly after that quick interaction, the rest of the time in the theater went smoothly for Jonghyun, which he was a little confused about. Just a few moments ago, he was struggling to focus on the movie due to the competing noises of his surroundings. However, once Kibum caught his attention, all his senses could focus on was the young bartender. 

The other heartbeats and smells in the theater disappeared, and the only heartbeat and scent that mattered was Kibum’s. Because of that, he was able to hear the movie slightly over the noise, and he didn’t have any problems after that.

Now, what did that mean for him? He had no idea. Why was it that just focusing on one person allowed him to function normally? He wasn’t sure. He’d have to ask Jinki about it later on.

Actually, scratch that. He and Jinki hadn’t had any serious conversations in a while, aside from arguing, and he was sure the elder vampire wouldn’t fathom the idea of him hanging out with another human so soon after his tragic mistake. 

“Jonghyun,” Kibum snapped him out of his thoughts again. “The movie’s over.”

Jonghyun looked around noticing people leaving. “Ok. What do you want to do now?”

Kibum furrowed his brows in confusion. He was sure that Jonghyun had only taken him to the movies out of pity. The man surely didn’t want to continue hanging out with him, did he? “What?”

Jonghyun snickered. “The night’s still young, Kibum. It’s not even 10, yet.”

Kibum checked the time on his phone seeing that it was only 9:30. He was used to either still being at work by this time or being home by this time because his dad didn’t like him being out late. However, his dad didn’t know that he wasn’t at work right now. So, he didn’t have to go home.

Kibum smiled to himself before asking. “Can we go get ice cream?”

“At this time of night?” Kibum almost retracted his offer, thinking it was a stupid request until he saw Jonghyun stand up stretching before saying, “Alright, let’s go.”

After grabbing some ice cream from a shop near the local park, they decided to walk the park’s trail, which was adjacent to a beautiful river. With their ice cream cups in hand, they set out their journey on the late-night nature walk.

“That movie was really cheesy wasn’t it,” Kibum chuckled before taking a spoonful of his ice cream.

Jonghyun quirked a questioning brow before saying, “You didn’t like it?”

Kibum shrugged, happily taking another spoonful of his vanilla ice cream. “It was a little cliché. The charming prince saves the damsel in distress, and they live happily ever after. That doesn’t happen is real life.”

Jonghyun grinned. “It did today though, didn’t it? I won’t go as far as to call myself prince charming, but I’d say my mission to save you was a success right, damsel?” 

Kibum paused, rolling his eyes before playfully slapping Jonghyun’s shoulder. “Oh, shut up.” They walked for a few moments in silence before Kibum continued. “You didn’t have to do that, you know? At the bar? I could’ve handled that guy myself.”

“Yeah, right. You looked petrified. I knew I had to do something.”

Kibum sighed, staring ahead. “Yeah, well I just really hate drunks. It makes absolutely no sense for a person to drink so much that they get shitfaced, you know?”

Jonghyun nodded in agreeance but decided not to comment. The amount of times he’d been blood drunk was ridiculous, so he’d rather not say something and be a hypocrite. But he also understood where Kibum was coming from.

He continued his rant, “I mean it’s not that hard to control yourself and drink responsibly. I understand getting tipsy here and there, but getting sloppy drunk? Where’s the fun in that? It’s only going to lead to a foggy night and shitty morning when you wake up with a hangover.”

“You’re really passionate about this,” Jonghyun said in amusement.

Kibum chuckled before his smiled died down. “Well, when you’ve been dealing with drunks all your life, you’d feel the same way too.”

Jonghyun noticed Kibum’s mood shift instantly from content to gloomy. He’d unintentionally hit a nerve with him.

Jonghyun piped in saying, “I totally understand. I would get annoyed working at a bar too if-”

“I’m not talking about the bar.” Kibum sighed before retracting, “Never mind.”  
Jonghyun didn’t have the gift of reading minds like some vampires did, but he had a knack for reading into people’s emotions, and he could clearly tell that Kibum’s thoughts were racing because his emotions seemed to be in a whirlwind.

“I’m all ears,” he said to reassure Kibum that he was interested in the conversation.

Kibum stopped walking to turn and look at Jonghyun with a shocked and confused expression. No one had ever been interested enough to hear him talk about his life. Not even his stupid ex. 

“I don’t want to bore you.”

Jonghyun shrugged. “I got all night. Go ahead.”

Kibum looked down before continuing the walk, thinking of how to start everything off. “It’s nothing. Just my dad and my ex. My dad doesn’t drink anymore since he’s saved or whatever, but when I was younger, he was…difficult to deal with.”

Jonghyun listened intensely. Difficult to deal with? What did he mean by that?

Kibum continued, “He was just always so angry. He and my mom fought a lot back then. As a child, it was terrifying. Thankfully, he never put his hands on me or my mom, but I grew up thinking he was a monster. He’s changed a lot these days, but there are times that I still think he’s a monster, especially with him trying to control my life.

“As for my ex,” Kibum paused again before continuing, “Let’s just say alcohol’s one of many reasons why we didn’t work out. But to be honest, even if he didn’t drink, we still wouldn’t have worked out. He was a dick. 

“I gave up so much for him and got nothing in return. The one thing I regret is dropping my friends for him. They warned me about him, and they were right, but I was stupidly in love and didn’t listen. And now, I’m in this town with no friends because I’m too paranoid to let anyone in in fearing that they’ll leave me in the end.”

It was almost hard for Jonghyun to believe what he was hearing. There’s so much more than what meets the eye when it comes to Kibum, and for some odd reason, he was curious to find out more. He still couldn’t grasp the fact that he didn’t have any friends.

Jonghyun glanced over at Kibum before saying, “If you ever need anyone to hang out with, I’m here. It’s not like I have anything else better to do anyways.”

“Obviously not if you spend all day at the bar,” Kibum chuckled. 

Jonghyun scoffed. “I’m not there all day.”

Kibum rolled his eyes playfully. “Most of the time every day.”

“I’m not there every day. Just when you’re there.”

Kibum paused to look at Jonghyun. Was what he was saying true? He hated being unsure of himself or those around him, but it was hard for him to trust people because he was never sure of anyone’s intentions. But he’d be lying to himself if he said he didn’t enjoy Jonghyun’s company as well.

Before he could dwell on it too much longer, the silence was interrupted by the ring of Kibum’s cellphone. He checked the caller ID and nearly groaned when he saw his dad’s contact picture. 

“Sorry, I need to take this,” he said before walking off-trail towards a nearby tree. Although there was some distance between then, Jonghyun’s hearing was still able to pick up on the conversation.

“Where are you?” Kibum’s dad said in an unfriendly tone.

“I’m out with a friend.” Kibum didn’t want to lie because his dad always found out the truth somehow.

“Out with a friend? What happened to you being at work?”

Kibum sighed in annoyance. He really didn’t feel like explaining anything. “I had to leave early due to an incident happening.”

“And you chose to go out with a friend instead of coming home and helping with dinner? You’re not even supposed to be out late unless you’re working.”

“I don’t have a curfew,” he answered monotonously, already over the conversation.

“Nonsense! In this house, you live under my rules, one of those being that you should be home by 9pm. You know this-”

“I’m not a child, dad. I’m a 26-year-old man and I don’t need your permission-”

“Don’t use that disrespectful tone with me, Kibum! This is not up for discussion.”

“But why is it such a problem to just hang out with my friend? I would’ve come home late anyway if I would’ve stayed at work.”

“See, that’s your problem. You think you can just pick and choose when the rules apply to you. Come home now or expect the door to be locked whenever you get here.”

“But, dad-”

“I don’t want to hear it. Am I clear?’

Kibum rolled his eyes, brewing in annoyance and anger. “Yes, sir.”

“See you soon, son,” his dad said before hanging up the phone. 

Sometimes Kibum really hated his life. He knew he shouldn’t complain too much because not everyone had a family to go home to. However, he was getting fed up with his family’s antics, especially his dad. He didn’t know if his family enjoyed pissing him off, but he couldn’t take this any longer.

Jonghyun picked up on Kibum’s distress, hearing him breathe deeply to calm himself down. It wasn’t really working though because his heart was beating faster than normal.

When he noticed Kibum didn’t move away from the tree, Jonghyun decided to leave the trail and walk over towards him. Upon meeting him, he said softly. “Hey.”

Kibum seemed to snap out of his thoughts, jumping once he heard Jonghyun’s voice. “Hey.”

“Are you good?”

Kibum sighed. “Yeah. Look, I’m sorry, but I have to cut our night short. My dad wants me home now and I’d rather not piss him off.”

Jonghyun nodded his head regretfully. He didn’t want the night to end. It was a good distraction for him not to go home yet, and it felt really good to allow himself to enjoy genuinely getting to know someone, to allow himself to be normal.

However, from the sound of that phone call, he knew it would be best for Kibum to leave. He didn’t want him getting into any more trouble.

He had to be honest though. “I hate that you have to go,” he said on the walk back to Kibum’s car.

Kibum couldn’t help smiling a little at that comment. “Trust me. I don’t want to leave, but duty calls I suppose. Do you need a ride home?”

Jonghyun shook his head no. “No, I’m good. My house isn’t too far from here.” That was a lie. They were on the other side of town and it would take almost an hour to walk home without vampire speed. But of course, he didn’t tell Kibum that. The young bartender worried enough for the night.

“Still though. Are you sure you want to walk? It can get dangerous out here at night.”

“No offense, but I can handle myself. I mean look at these guns,” he said before flexing his arm.

Kibum snickered. “Whatever. Thank you, by the way. This night was definitely what I needed from such a stressful day. I…hope that we can do this again.”

Jonghyun gave his signature smirk before saying, “Anytime.”

—

The ride home that evening was a bit awkward to say the least. With a vampire in the driver’s seat, a werewolf in the passenger’s seat, and a ghost in the backseat, you’d think Jinki was taking them all to a paranormal halfway house.

The whole way home, Jinki was prepping Jongin on what, or rather what not, to do or say around Taemin. 

“Oh yeah. You may want to button up your shirt too before going in. The blood may freak him out.”

Jongin glanced down at his bloody white shirt before buttoning up his plaid flannel covering to hide the sight. “I’m not so sure about this,” he said out of nervousness. 

He’d been given so much information in such a short period of time, he was afraid he’d forget everything and freak the other ghost out. He didn’t want to ruin his opportunity to leave the hospital. What if Taemin didn’t like him? If so, would Jinki and Minho send him back to the hospital? Would he be abandoned again as he once was by his own family? These were the worrying thoughts that flashed through his head before arriving at the house. 

“We’re here,” said Minho as Jinki parallel parked on the street in front of the house.   
“Welcome to your new home,” said Jinki before turning around noticing how quiet Jongin was. “It’s ok. Don’t be nervous. Taemin won’t bite.”

Jongin nodded as he gulped nervously. Here goes nothing. 

He followed the two men up the stairs of the front porch, stopping shortly at the front door once it was opened. 

Jinki gestured with his hand as he said, “Come on. Follow me.”

However, Jongin stayed at the doorway unsure on if it was ok to come in. This was someone else’s house after all. It was a bit more personal. 

He was used to occupying large spaces such as hospitals or parks, but not someone’s home that they grew up in. It was a ghost no-no in his eyes, and he couldn’t help feeling like an intruder. 

So, he decided to stay outside, scoping out the scene before making his presence know. 

Jinki completely understood and told him he’d call for him when they’re ready. 

Upon entering the living room, Jinki found Minho getting his ear talked off by an excited Taemin. 

“Jinki!” Taemin shouted in excitement at seeing his favorite vampire. “What took you guys so long? I was so bored all day. I practiced like you asked, but unsurprisingly, things didn’t go as planned. So, I just twiddled my thumbs until you two came back.”

Jinki smiled. It was always so great coming back home to Taemin’s positive energy. “Nice to see you too, Taemin.”

“So, I was thinking,” Taemin began, and Jinki already knew it was some plan Taemin thought up. “You can call my brother over for Thanksgiving. It’s a month and some weeks away, so that’ll give us time to prepare-”

“Taemin, vampires don’t celebrate holidays, let alone Thanksgiving.”

Taemin looked over at Minho for help. The wolf shrugged. “Hey, don’t look at me. I haven’t spent a holiday with my family in over three years. I’m probably the least festive person to get advice from.”

“Well, how about we change that? Better yet, you can invite my whole family over. They’d think of it as nice gesture and love you forever, I’d get to see my family again for the holidays, and it’d be a win-win situation for us all! How does that sound?”

Both Minho and Jinki gave Taemin a blank look, causing the young ghost to groan in disappointment. Minho spoke up, “If Jinki couldn’t cook breakfast, how do you expect for him to cook a full course Thanksgiving dinner?”

“Not to mention,” said Jinki, “Jonghyun’s still unpredictable when it comes to humans. Do you really want to put your family at risk like that?”

Taemin rolled his eyes. “Jonghyun’s not even a part of this equation. The guy’s barely home. Why should he be a deciding factor?”

“It’s not just Jonghyun. I just think it may be too soon. You saw how broken your dad was the day we moved in. I don’t think spending the holidays in the house where his son recently died would help him cope.”

“I disagree,” Taemin said in defiance. He so desperately wants to see his family, and since he was stuck in this house, the only way for that to happen would be for them to come here. 

Jinki let out a slow sigh, feeling his frustration build. He really enjoyed Taemin’s go-getter attitude, but it could be quite demanding at times. Of course, he understood where he was coming from, but Taemin needed to understand that the world didn’t work around his schedule. 

It’s not like he was close friends with Taemin’s family. The only form of interaction they had was in purchasing the house. Other than that, he was a complete stranger to them. 

“Just think about it, please,” said Taemin as he gave Jinki those pleading eyes again. 

But before Jinki could comment, he noticed Taemin’s eyes shift over his shoulder towards the front door. 

“Whoa. Who’s the cutie,” said Taemin, the previous conversation long forgotten upon seeing the new face. But knowing Taemin, this conversation would end up resurfacing somehow. 

Jongin blinked in surprise not expecting such a bold statement. He answered, “I’m Jongin.”

At that, Taemin’s eyes widened. If he had any blood left in his body, he would’ve felt it draining from his face. This guy could hear him?! 

He squeaked in embarrassment before quickly disappearing into thin air. A few seconds later, he appeared back into the room. “Sorry, I still don’t have control over that. Um, Jinki? Can you please explain what’s going on?!”

Jinki cleared his throat. “Right. This is Jongin. Minho and I met him at the hospital. I thought you two should meet?”

“...Why?”

“Because I believe he can help you. He’s like you.”

Taemin stood there in confusion before asking, “Like me?”

Jinki nodded. “Yeah. You see, Jongin here is a ghost as well. I thought you two could talk and get to know each other. You know, make some new friends besides a couple of vampires and a werewolf.” 

Jongin quickly sputtered, “W-What?”

Minho chimed, “Oh, that’s right! That’s what I tried to tell you earlier. I’m a werewolf and Jinki’s a vampire. That’s how we can see you. Hope this doesn’t change things,” he ended with an awkward scratch to his head. 

Taemin stared at Jongin, still unsure of the situation before scoffing at Jinki and Minho saying, “A play date? How old do you think I am? 12?”

Jinki quickly responded. “No, not a play date, Taemin. I just thought that maybe it would be better for you to get some help from someone who’s in the same situation as you.”

Taemin still wasn’t buying it. “What makes you think we can trust this guy? No offense,” he quickly added to Jongin. 

“I understand your concern, and I would never force you to do anything you don’t want to do, but I want you to trust me on this. I can help as much as I can, but I’ll never be as good as the real thing.”

“Also,” said Minho. “If you allow it, he’ll be living with us from now on.”

“What-”

“It’s the agreement we came up with in exchange for his services. But again, it all depends on if it’s something you really want to do.”

Taemin let out a sigh before whining like the man-child he is. He really didn’t like this. He was ok with Minho living with them, and he could barely stand Jonghyun, but another ghost? How was that even going to work?   
Taemin gave a questioning look to Jongin before asking, “How can I be sure you’re what you say you are?”

Jinki was going to reassure Taemin again, but stopped shortly when he saw Jongin walking up to Taemin. He stopped a few feet in front of Taemin before sticking out his hand. 

“I’ll properly introduce myself then. I’m Kim Jongin. It’s nice to meet you, Taemin.”

Taemin stared at his outstretched hand in bewilderment. Jongin realized how weird this situation may be for him, so he gently urged, “Go on. Shake it.”

For a brief moment, Taemin wondered if this was how Jonghyun felt when he told him to shake his own hand.   
With the roll of an eye, Taemin stretched his hand out to meet Jongin’s, not expecting much of anything. He hadn’t felt a person in over six months. Why would this be any different. Except...

Taemin’s eyes widened when he made contact with Jongin’s hand, the foreign feeling of skin meeting his hand. There was no air, but actual skin. 

Taemin gasped before lifting his hands to touch all over Jongin’s arms and face. “Holy shit you’re real! I can actually touch you!”  
Jongin gently grabbed Taemin’s wrists in amusement to get his curious hands off his face. 

Jinki groaned. “Taemin, please stop touching the guy’s face. I’m sorry about him.”

Jongin laughed. “It’s ok. Believe me, I was just as excited once I learned that ghosts can actually touch each other. There’s actually so much more we’re able to do.”

Taemin’s eyes lit up like a Christmas tree. “Are you serious? Ok we definitely need to talk! Let’s go upstairs.” 

But before he could turn to walk up the stairs, Taemin vanished again before ending up in the kitchen. “Crap!” He called from the kitchen before walking back into the living room. “I suck at this.”

Jongin chuckled. “It’s ok. Believe it or not, disappearing and reappearing on command isn’t that hard. It’s actually quite simple. You just need a little help.”

Tae smiled in excitement, ready to learn about what he’s been missing out on. “Sweet! I guess we’ll have to walk to my bedroom then,” he said before running upstairs. 

Jongin watched in amazement because he’d never met another ghost that was so lively and energetic. He was so used to being in a hospital full of depressed souls, that he thought most spirits were like that. However, Taemin was proving to have more energy than Jongin himself, and it made him want to help him even more. 

Honestly, it surprised him that Taemin didn’t have more control over his ghost abilities because the spirit energy radiating off of him was astounding. Jongin believed that if he could help Taemin realize his true potential, Taemin could become a powerful spirit with limitless possibilities. But first, they had to start from the basics. 

He turned to Jinki saying, “I guess that’s my cue.” And like that, he vanished in thin air and reappeared right before Taemin at the top on the stairs. 

Jinki and Minho burst out laughing when they heard Taemin shriek before shouting, “Ok, no doing ghost shit without my knowledge!”

Hearing Taemin’s room door close, Jinki let out a content sigh. “That went better than expected, don’t you think?”

Minho nodded. “Yeah. It’s a nice thing you did for him.”

“Yeah, well it’s thanks to Jongin. I don’t know what I would’ve done if he said no.”

Minho nodded before quickly remembering, “Oh, hey can I borrow your car? I need to go get some things I left behind in the camper.”

Jinki nodded. “Sure. Just let me put on my jacket-”

Minho smiled before saying, “Jinki, I’m a big boy. I can go by myself.”

“But-”

“You really need to learn how to relax, my friend. Just sit down and relax. You’ve had a long day.” 

Relax? Jinki wasn’t sure he knew how to. He was so used to taking care of others and being involved in everything, that the only way he could ever relax was knowing that everyone else he worried about was ok. 

However, Minho had a point. 

After the werewolf drove off, Jinki decided to sit on the steps on the front porch, looking at the stars in deep thought. It was something he used to do years ago whenever he wanted some alone time to think about life. 

The past week had been such a roller coaster, he hadn’t had a chance to actually sit back and reflect on everything. 

—

After about twenty minutes of being caught up in his thoughts, Jinki noticed a figure approaching his front porch. At first, he thought it was Minho, but soon saw that the figure was Jonghyun. He felt like he hadn’t talked to his friend in ages, which was sad since they lived in the same house. He knew that he was part of the reason though because he had taken priority in so many other things that he barely had time to keep up with Jonghyun these days and he wanted to change that. 

“Nice to see you’re back so early,” said Jinki upon Jonghyun’s arrival. 

“Hey,” Jonghyun said as he slowly approached the porch, stopping to stand awkwardly in front of Jinki. 

Jinki patted the empty spot next to him. “Come sit. We need to have a talk.”

Jonghyun furrowed his brows. He wasn’t sure if the elder vampire was still mad at him or not, but he did as he was told. “Am I in trouble?”

“No,” Jinki said as he looked in front of him. “I just realized that we haven’t had one of our talks in a while. I feel like you’re becoming a stranger, and I don’t like that.”

Truth be told, Jonghyun didn’t like it either. He didn’t like feeling like a stranger in his own home, but more importantly, he didn’t like feeling like a stranger to his best friend. 

Jonghyun nodded. “Yeah, I’ve noticed.”

There was a small moment of silence before Jinki looked over to Jonghyun with a small smile. “How are you?”

Jonghyun shrugged. “Good, I guess.”

“No, really. How are you...after this Taeyeon situation? Are you really alright?”

Jinki was bringing this up because after his anger subsided from the situation, he couldn’t help feeling like a bad friend. He felt like he wasn’t there for Jonghyun as much as he should’ve been. Yes, Jonghyun made a stupid mistake that couldn’t be undone. But abandoning his friend when he needed him the most wouldn’t solve anything. 

Jonghyun was a little taken aback. He was sure Jinki wanted them to never mention the situation again since it was such a tragedy. He hadn’t seen Jinki that angry in a long time, and the fact that he was the reason behind that anger really messed with him. 

“W-Why are you asking?” 

Jinki sighed. “Because I’ve realized that I haven’t been there for you, Jong. Even though it was a horrible situation, it must’ve been so hard for you to handle. I’ve seen firsthand how much you’ve struggled with your cravings and you’ve come such a long way. To lose it all in one night must have been heartbreaking.”

Leave it to Jinki to still consider his feelings in a time like this, Jonghyun thought. The man was just too kind. 

Jonghyun looked down at his hands as images from that night flashed across his mind. “Yeah, it was devastating. I’m still upset about it. I...I thought I was stronger than that. I swear to you, Jinki, I would’ve never gone out that night if I thought I would lose control.”

“I know,” said Jinki as he placed a comforting hand on Jonghyun’s back. “I believe you, which is why I still haven’t given up on you. I know your heart, Jonghyun. You’re just as warm as I am on the inside.”

Jonghyun scoffed, “I don’t think anyone could ever be as warm as you.” Jinki was the nicest person he knew. 

“Regardless, I know you’ve come a long way from your days with The Order, and I want you to know that you’re better than this. Although it was a tragic event, we can only go forward from here. Take this as a learning experience so this can never happen again.”

Jonghyun nodded. “I know. I agree.”

“And no matter how unappetizing it is, we have blood bags now. It’s the only way we can stay clean and be sure that no one gets hurt.”

Jonghyun almost grimaced. It’s not like the blood bags were completely disgusting, but it wasn’t a good substitute for the real thing. However, if this were how he could keep people safe, he’d just have to put up with it.

Jinki continued, “There’s actually something else I need to talk to you about.”

Jonghyun didn’t like the sound of that. “What?”

“One of our old friends from The Order made a surprise visit at the hospital today. Choi Siwon.”

Jonghyun froze. Was he hearing things right? Was this a joke? Siwon?

Siwon was a name that brought a lot of fear in their ex-clan, as well as the general vampire society. Just like Jonghyun himself, Siwon was one of Keun-Suk ‘s chosens, which were the select few favorited by the supreme leader. His position was right below Jonghyun’s, and whenever Siwon was around, nothing good ever came of the situation. 

Jonghyun furrowed his brows. “What the fuck was he doing there? How did he even find you?”

“You know how widespread The Order is. They have operations everywhere. I’m not surprised that they found us. What I don’t like is that he claimed to have been there looking for blood- “

“But The Order has an endless supply-”

“Exactly. I’m not sure what exactly was his motive was, but for some reason, I have a feeling it’s connected to you. Blood was just an excuse to infiltrate the hospital.”

“What? Why would this be connected to me?”

“Well, he said something about thinking I was back in the clan because of you. I feel like this is Keun-Suk’s way of trying to get you back. We all know how much he cherished you, Jonghyun.”

Jonghyun shook his head in protest. “No way. I officially ended things with him after the Taeyeon situation. I told him I want nothing to do with him. I haven’t been in contact with him since then.”

“Well, it doesn’t look like he’ll give up that easily. Just promise me that you’ll stay far away from them. No matter how tempting it may be to confront them, stay away. The more you stay in contact with him, the more power you allow him to have over you. It’ll be best to just not even entertain him at this point.”

Jonghyun nodded. “I promise.”

Jinki smiled before giving Jonghyun a light pat on the back. “I guess I’ll go back inside now. I’ve had an exhausting day. This was a really nice talk, Jonghyun. Let’s do it more often, ok?”

Jonghyun nodded, smiling back at Jinki as he headed inside the house. 

“Oh, one more request,” said Jinki. 

“What?”

“Just please be a little nicer to Taemin and Minho. They’re both nice guys. It’ll make living here a little easier.”

Jonghyun almost rolled his eyes, but nodded saying, “I’ll try.” Then Jinki turned to go inside the house. 

Once Jinki was out of sight, Jonghyun’s smiled dropped, a serious expression taking over his face. Unbeknownst to Jinki, Jonghyun had his fingers crossed when he made his promise. It wasn’t like he didn’t want to stay away from The Order. In fact, he intended to after tonight. 

He just needed to pay Keun-Suk one last visit to set things straight. Then after that, he’d be done with them forever. 

—  
Jonghyun made it to his destination, an alley behind an old building, in hopes of this officially being the last time he’d ever have to interact with this man ever again. 

He stood there for a while before noticing a man emerging from the shadows. He didn’t even have to look to know it was Keun-Sun. His presence was strong, and he just emitted power wherever he was. 

Jonghyun shifted nervously, courage slowly fading as the man approached him. 

Keun-Suk walked up to Jonghyun with a pleased smirk on his face before saying, “Nice to see you again, fledgling.”

“Look,” Jonghyun said getting to the point. “Tell your boys to back off. The hospital’s off limits and so am I.”

Keun-Suk’s smile widened. “I see you got the message. Honestly Jonghyun, it’s so silly that you think I’m going to let one of my most prized fledglings slip through my fingertips so easily.”

“I’m not a piece of property-”

“As long as my blood is flowing through your veins, you’re every bit of mines as far as I’m concerned. You’d think you’d be a little more appreciative towards the one who turned you, who gave you this glorious life of the night. A life in which you’re throwing away. And for what? To pretend like you’re human?”

“No. To be a decent person in society.”

“Which society? The one where killing a woman gets you in jail? Or the society where your killings are celebrated? I’d enjoy the latter.”

“But I don’t-”

“Oh, is that so? Must I remind you that if it weren’t for this society that you hate so much, you would be behind bars right now- “

“And I’m appreciative of that. I told you that last time, but you helping me wasn’t an invitation for you to come back into my life.”

“You think that I was waiting for an invitation? Jonghyun, the only reason why you and Jinki have been able to live so peacefully after leaving the clan was because of me. I allowed you to go out and have your fun, because I knew deep down inside that you’d be back. However, it’s taking you a little longer than I would like for you to realize it’s time for you to come home.”

Jonghyun hissed, “Bullshit. I’ve told you before and I’ll tell you once again. I’m not coming back. I have a home here-”

“Oh, yes!” Keun-Suk exclaimed dramatically. “I’ve heard all about your unconventional home. A werewolf, Jonghyun? Really? Lowering yourself so low to live with the scum of vampire society? I thought I taught you better than that. I’m so disappointed.”

“Trust me, that wasn’t my doing. But if Jinki wants him to stay then so be it.”

Keun-Suk shook his head in disapproval. “Jinki this, Jinki that. It seems to me that Jinki has taken my place as your supreme leader.”

Jonghyun scrunched his brows not liking the sound of that. “There’s equal power between me and Jinki-”

“Are you sure about that? Jinki said to stop drinking live, so you stopped. Jinki said you should leave the protection of The Order, so you did. Now, Jinki says you should allow a dirty, stinky, lowlife wolf to live with you, so you agree. Do you see the pattern here? So, if you’re going to be ruled by someone, at least let it be someone who can provide you with a great life.”

“My life is just fine-”

“How many times do you have to tell yourself that to believe it? Just look at you. You’re slipping. Even I can see that this route you’re taking is not healthy for you. That’s why I came with an offer.”

Jonghyun looked on in suspicion as a woman with a collar around her neck emerged from the shadows. Jonghyun immediately recognized her as one of the volunteer blood slaves they have at the clan’s mansion. He’d fed from her many times, and his body made sure to remind him as he felt his fangs trying to protrude. 

The woman stood beside Keun-Suk obediently as she awaited his orders. 

“Jonghyun, I’m sure you remember Tiffany. She’s missed you so much since you’ve left us-”

“What are you trying to get at? What is this?”

“A truce. For your loyalty. If you agree to remain loyal to not only me, but The Order in general, I can pay you in weekly visits by one of our most beloved donors. Best part? Jinki doesn’t have to know and you can continue to receive the perks of being in The Order, such as a constant food supply. It’s a win-win if you ask me.”

Jonghyun looked on in astonishment. He wasn’t sure if Keun-Suk was serious or if this were some kind of joke, but in that moment, he knew he should’ve listened to Jinki. This only proved the Keun-Suk would stop at nothing to get him back. The more he stayed in contact him, the more cunning he became. 

“Tiffany,” said Keun-Suk, “Don’t be shy. Go say hi to your old friend.”

Tiffany slowly walked toward Jonghyun in a seductive way, causing him to gulp out of nervousness. For some reason, he was frozen. He didn’t know what to do. He wanted to run away, but his body wouldn’t move. 

He had to close his eyes as he struggled to control himself once she stopped in front of him. The smell of her blood was so overpowering, and his body reacted to the familiar scent, his fangs finally protruding. 

“Hey, Jonghyun,” she said softly. 

“Kneel,” said Keun-Suk. 

At that, Tiffany knelt down on one knee, staring up at Jonghyun in the process. Then, she lifted both of her wrists toward his face. It was the traditional way to make a blood offering, offerings Jonghyun was far too familiar with. 

Jonghyun snapped out of his thoughts when he heard Keun-Suk ask, “So what’s it going to be, Jonghyun? Are you going to keep pretending like you’re not a creature of the night? Or are you going to finally give into your desires, into what’s rightly yours?”

Jonghyun stood there in contemplation. This was tempting. So fucking tempting. Although he knew even considering it was a bad idea, he couldn’t help thinking of how easy things had been in The Order. He never had to struggle with meals. His blood supply was always at his fingertips, and since leaving his old clan, he hadn’t had an easy time converting. 

Would it really be a good idea to take this offering? Like Keun-Suk said, Jinki wouldn’t have to know. He could continue living with Jinki and only meet with Keun-Suk every once in a while. Maybe it was a good deal. 

Jonghyun stared at Tiffany’s beautiful face, remembering all the wild nights they had together. She was definitely one of his favorites. 

However, upon looking at her face, Taeyeon flashing in his head. Her beautiful face once filled with so much life, then her soulless expression after he’d done the unthinkable. Regardless of how willing she was. Tiffany was still human.

No. He wasn’t like that anymore. He couldn’t go back to that. He wouldn’t allow it. 

“No,” he said a little too low for Keun-Suk to hear. 

“I’m sorry. What was that?”

He said more defiantly, “No. I said no. I’m not going to do it. Stand up,” he said Tiffany as he pulled her up, shoving her back towards Keun-Suk. 

Keun-Suk turned his attention to the dejected-looking Tiffany. “Tiffany, my dear. Head back to the car. I’ll be there shortly.”

She nodded, sparing Jonghyun a lasting glance before disappearing back into the shadows. Once she was gone, Keun-Suk gave Jonghyun a disappointed look. “How could you-”

“I’m done!” Jonghyun shouted as he backed up. “I don’t want anything to do with you or The Order anymore. My loyalty lies with Jinki. What part of that don’t you understand?”

Keun-Suk narrowed his eyes, hissing as he said, “After all I’ve done for you, this is how you repay me? I give you everything you could ever want, but I get slapped in the face.”

“I’ve got to start thinking for myself now. I’m committed to this life with Jinki, and there’s nothing you can say to convince me otherwise. I’m sorry, but this is the end.”

Keun-Suk walked closer to Jonghyun, stopping by his ear to whisper, “Just a word of advice, fledgling. Never ever forget where you came from. You may need me again one day.” And with that, Keun-Suk disappeared back into the shadows. 

Jonghyun looked on in disbelief at what just happened. He stood up for himself, said no to live blood, and got Keun-Suk to leave him alone. Although he knew this battle was far from over, he was proud.


	7. Trust.

Awkward.

That was the only word Taemin could think of at the moment. He and Jongin had been sitting across from each other on his bedroom floor for almost 30 minutes, but the majority of that time was filled with forced small talk and awkward silence. Although their initial meeting was great, being alone with another ghost was something that Taemin was not used to.

Jongin’s not a very talkative person, Taemin gathered from the minimal time they spent together. It was hard for him to understand that because he was the complete opposite. Unlike most people, Taemin enjoyed small talk and getting to know people. He’d been well-known in his past life for being a social butterfly, so Jongin’s limited speech was definitely a bit of a culture shock for him.

No matter what Taemin asked, Jongin would only answer in short sentences followed by silence. He could tell that Jongin wasn’t doing it to be rude due to him giving answers with a polite smile. It was just how the guy was —obviously not much of a people person.

Regardless, Taemin still wanted to break him in. There’s no way this random guy could live with them and continue to be so antisocial. The only problem was thinking of what they should talk about. He didn’t know anything about Jongin, so it was a struggle to think of an interesting topic that would make him open up and feel more comfortable around him.

“So, uh.... how’d you die?”

The bold question was asked by a curious Taemin as he stared expectantly at Jongin with an eager smile on his face. As awkward as the situation was, Taemin was also intrigued to learn about Jongin – someone he could finally relate to about being a ghost and all.

Jongin’s hesitation in answering the question caused Taemin to immediately correct himself. “I’m sorry. Was that rude? I don’t know what’s proper ghost etiquette. I’m still learning.”

Jongin shrugged nonchalantly. “It’s ok. It’s not rude, I just never gave my death much thought. I don’t often get asked how I died.”

“If it’s too personal-”

“It’s not.”

Taemin quirked am interested brow. Had he finally found a topic Jongin seemed interested enough in to start a conversation?

Jongin sighed before replying, “But since you asked.... I was shot.”

Taemin’s eyes widened. “You were what?!”

Unbeknownst to Taemin, Jongin found his reaction to be quite entertaining. He smirked before answering, “Yep. Right in the chest. Want to see?” Before Taemin could deny, Jongin unbuttoned his shirt to reveal the bloody white t-shirt underneath.

Taemin felt sick at the sight. He knew if he were alive, he would’ve thrown up right there. He was such a sheltered kid. He barely went outside, watched scary movies, or played violent video games. The fact that he was sitting across from some guy with a bloody chest was gruesome enough for him.

Jongin sighed as he went to rebutton up his shirt, “Sorry. Jinki warned me that you’d be a little freaked out by it-”

Taemin quickly shook his head, stopping Jongin’s actions. “No, that’s not it. I’ve just never seen that much blood on a person before. Did it...hurt?”

“Getting shot?” Taemin nodded before Jongin continued. “Yeah. I mean, I don’t remember much of the pain because the shock quickly took over. However, I do slightly remember the immediate feeling of being shot. It wasn’t pleasant at all.”

“That must’ve been horrible. Did it hurt when you...you know?”

“When I died?”

Taemin nodded. He didn’t want to boldly ask like he did with his last question, but he was curious. He’d never interacted with another ghost. He wondered how many things they had in common.

Jongin continued. “No. I felt numb and weightless.” Taemin was pleased with his answer because he’d felt the exact same way when he died.

“And,” Taemin continued, “Do you know who shot you? Was it an accident?”

Jongin tilted his head to the side in thought. “It was definitely no accident.”

“But....why? Why would someone do that to you?”

Jongin was about to explain, but decided to summarize it by saying, “I didn’t live a very nice life, and I didn’t surround myself with very nice people.”

Didn’t live a very nice life. Taemin pondered on that for a few seconds. What could he mean by that?

Taemin took that as a cue to ask another question. “So...why is your chest still bloody if you’ve already passed?”

“Hmm?” Jongin asked. Taemin’s questions were very telling of what little he knew about being a ghost.

“I mean... I thought when we cross over into the afterlife, our bodies come without injury. Like a fresh start? Am I making any sense?”

Jongin answered slowly, “Kind of, but your theory is wrong. When we die, we cross over as is. So whatever clothes we’re wearing, whatever hairstyle we have, whatever state of mind we’re in, and whatever injury our body sustained before crossing over will remain a part of us.”

Taemin gasped, “Really? Hmm. No wonder I’m stuck in these ugly pajamas. I could’ve at least died in something more fashionable.”

Jongin chuckled lightly in amusement, not knowing if Taemin was joking or being serious. “Hey, at least you didn’t get stuck with a bloody chest.” He abruptly asked, “What about you? How did you die?”

Taemin paused. “I.....don’t know.”

That threw Jongin in a for a loop. Every ghost he came across remembered how they died. It’s one of the first memories you regain in the afterlife. It’s definitely bizarre to have no recollection at all.

“What do you mean you don’t know? Like you have no idea at all?”

“I mean, I assume I died by falling down the stairs. That’s where I awakened. But...I don’t know how I fell. Everything before my awakening is a blur.”

“Where’s your wound?”

“Huh?”

“You said you fell down the stairs. There surely must be some kind of injury if you ended up dying.”

“Maybe it’s on the back of my head? I woke up facing the ceiling.” Taemin subconsciously brought a hand to the back of his head, touching his scalp before gasping upon feeling something wet. “Omg, what is that? Is that blood?! Please don’t tell me that’s blood!”

He brought his hand back in front of his face and nearly lost it upon seeing his bloody fingertips. However, as soon as he laid eyes on it, the blood slowly faded away and disappeared, leaving his fingertips clean again.

Jongin looked on in confusion. “You didn’t know that was back there?”

And that’s when Taemin actually lost it.

“Well, I can’t see the back of my head! And my hair covers it, so I don’t think Jinki or Minho could see it to tell me. Ugh, I feel so gross!”

Taemin felt like his skin was crawling. He felt so uncomfortable knowing that there was a gash in the back of his head. He already hated the sight of blood, but the fact that he had blood permanently on his body was almost unbearable.

Jongin couldn’t help but grin at how squeamish Taemin was. He never had friends like this in his past life. “You shouldn’t freak out about it. It’s a part of you now. It tells your story. It’s not something to be ashamed of.”

Taemin scoffed. “Yeah, well what’s the point of it being a part of my story if I don’t even know what my story is.”

Jongin placed a comforting hand and Taemin’s shoulder, nearly causing Taemin to jump because he still wasn’t used to having physical contact with people.

Jongin spoke, “And I’ll help you figure that out.”

“But how?”

“We’ll figure it out in due time. But first, let’s start from the basics.”

Taemin perked up in excitement, ready to learn how to be a ghost. “Ok, what’s the basics?”

“Simple. Teleportation, or manifestation. It’s one of the easiest things a ghost can learn, and it’s one of the very first things spirits can catch onto without even trying.”

“Wow, I must really be an idiot then.”

“Don’t think like that. Most ghosts I’ve met died in places where there were many spirits walking around already. For example, the hospital. So, when they awakened, there were people around to help them. However, you awakened in your own home without anyone to jumpstart you into the afterlife.”

“Yeah, but it still sucks that I can’t even catch on to the simplest thing ghosts can do.”

“Well, that’s why I’m here. For some odd reason, your friend, Jinki, trusts me to help you learn what I know, so no matter how hard it may be, I’m not going to give up on you. I gave him my word.”

Taemin nearly smiled. It felt nice to have someone be there for him. He knew Jinki and Minho would have his back regardless, and he wasn’t too sure about Jonghyun, but Jongin was someone he could actually count on to physically be there when needed.

“Thank you,” Taemin said in a whisper. “Thanks for doing this.”

Jongin smiled then decided to stop wasting time. He stood up, and Taemin quickly followed. “Alright, manifestation. Now to do this, you must be able to have an accurate picture of a place in your mind. You have no idea how easy it is to think of one place but end up in another.”

“So, you want me to picture a place. Like where?”

“Anywhere. Since you’re a beginner, let’s start small. Think of a place in the house. Anywhere you want to go. Take both of us there.”

Taemin’s brows raised. “Both of us? I don’t even know if I can take myself. But both of us?”

“It’s easy, remember?” Jongin said to give Taemin the confidence. “It’s just like doing it yourself. All you have to do is have some kind of contact with me before doing so. You could grab my shirt, my arm, my foot, whatever.”

Taemin snickered at the thought of holding onto his foot. But he quickly whined as another thought came to mind. “But what if I do it wrong and you only come back with one hand or something?”

Jongin stuttered, not knowing how to answer a question like that, “What? That’s not going to happen. I know we just met but put a little trust in me.”

Taemin took a deep breath, nodding his head deciding that it was time to get on with it. He was so anxious. What if he really was an idiot? What if he were incapable of doing the simplest thing ghosts could do? What if he somehow managed to get lost in time?

Jongin sensed Taemin’s worries. Call it ghost intuition or whatever, but it was always something he was capable of doing.

Against his better judgement, Jongin reached out a hand and grabbed Taemin’s, holding it tightly as Taemin’s tense body began to relax. “Is that better?”

Taemin didn’t know what to say. He was still stuck on the fact that he was actually holding someone’s hand. It wasn’t a dream, but a reality.

Jongin brought him out of his thoughts again with his encouraging words. “You can do this. It’s easy.”

This stranger believed in him. So maybe he should start believing in himself.

He gave a nod before closing his eyes, thinking of the first place that came to mind, being the kitchen. Maybe it was because he wished he could eat again. He missed his mom’s cooking. He missed eating junk food and being yelled at by his dad to eat healthier. He missed the bonding time he and his brother would have while making weird pizzas together. He missed the family gatherings on holidays when his aunts, uncles, cousins, and grandparents would come over to make a feast.

Those were the good days.

After a few moments, he slowly opened his eyes, letting out a gasp when he looked around at the different scenery. He was no longer in his bedroom. There they both stood in the center of the kitchen, and Taemin couldn’t believe it.

He detached his hand from Jongin’s to clap his own hands in excitement, jumping up and down as he shouted, “Holy shit, I did it! I can’t believe it! I did it! Omg omg omg omg omg! Jinki’s not going to believe this!” And at that moment, another lightbulb in the living room burst. Another casualty of Taemin’s.

He cringed at the sound, yet again reminding himself that he didn’t have control over his emotions yet. And poor little Jinki would have to buy yet another lightbulb.

“Good job,” said Jongin said as he watched Taemin proudly.

“I can’t believe I just did that. Me! Like what?!”

“Yep. It was all you. It was easy, right?”

“Very! Wow, Jinki should’ve picked you up at the hospital a long time ago.”

Jongin smiled slightly before saying, “Now, let’s try again.”

“Again?” Taemin asked nervously as he came down from his high. What if his first attempt was just good luck? What if he’s not able to do it again?

Jongin nodded. “Practice makes perfect, right?”

Throwing his thoughts aside, Taemin nodded and decided to grab Jongin’s wrist this time. He closed his eyes and thought of another place in the house - a place he knew all too well. It was a place where he and his brother spent most of their days playing video games. He opened his eyes to see that they were now in the basement, or what used to be the basement.

He unhooked his hand from Jongin’s wrist to gaze around in amazement. “Wow, they really did a lot with the place.”

“Where are we?”

“In the basement. Well, it’s Minho’s room now, I guess. My brother and I used to have so much fun down here. It’s so weird to see it looking like this.”

“There’s a lot of room in here.”

Taemin nodded. “We used to play hide and seek for hours down here. Ah, good times. This is weird. Now I feel like I’m invading Minho’s space.”

Jongin said as he held out his hand, “Well, let’s try it again. I think you’re getting the hang of this.”

“Ok!” Taemin quickly grabbed Jongin’s wrist again and closed his eyes as he thought of the one place he yearned to go.

With this newfound confidence, there should be no problem this time. Third times the charm, as the saying goes.

He waited to open his eyes, listening to his surroundings and hoping his mind wouldn’t play tricks on him, but the slight sound of passing cars seemed promising. He smiled cheerfully before opening his eyes, ready to congratulate himself for another job well-done. However, he quickly frowned upon meeting the sight of the closed door in front of him. This wasn’t what he pictured.

He breathed heavily as his eyes began to water. He felt like a failure. What was he thinking? Did he really think he could just get out of this house that easily?

Jongin glanced over at Taemin, taking in his depleted look. While doing so, he was surprised to see that around them, the wallpaper simultaneously began to peel as Taemin became more upset.

Jongin whispered gently, “What’s wrong? Is this not the place you thought of?”

“No!” Taemin whined as he wiped away a few escaped tears on his cheeks. “This is not where I wanted to go.”

“Where did you want to end up?”

He motioned to the door in frustration. “Outside. I pictured the front porch in my mind, but it didn’t work. I’m so stupid. Why did I think it would work-”

“You’re not stupid, Taemin. Maybe you just need to try again-”

Taemin sniffed before saying, “I’ve been trying ever since I died. It hasn’t worked yet, so why did I think it would work now?”

Jongin wasn’t sure what to say or do. Where he’s from, men didn’t show emotions. He was raised to bottle everything inside, putting on a tough exterior to prevent himself from looking weak. However, he couldn’t help but feel bad for Taemin. He wished to help him as soon as possible because no matter how tough he claimed to be, he hated seeing other people cry.

Jongin answered, “There has to be an explanation. I guess Jinki was right. Maybe the house is trying to hold you in. You said you can’t remember how you died, right?”

Taemin nodded as he sniffed and wiped away a few more tears.

Jongin continued, “So maybe that’s the problem.”

Taemin sniffed again as he calmed down, thankful that there was now someone there to be with him during his breakdowns. “So, how am I supposed to remember how I died? It happened so long ago. Why does it even fucking matter?!” Taemin’s frustration was starting to get the best of him.

Jongin sighed. “I don’t think it’s just the fact that you died. Maybe something important happened before you died, or even after. The house is trying to tell you something, and I believe it won’t let you leave until you figure it out.”

Taemin groaned. “Well, I’m listening!” He turned to the wall shouting, “Anything you have to say?! I’m right here! Tell me!”

Taemin felt like he was going insane. Jongin was the second person to tell him the house was trying to tell him something. He was just so fed up at that point. It’s not like he could hold a conversation with a door or something. How was he supposed to know the message the house was trying to send him?

Jongin felt really bad for him. He never knew there were spirits out there struggling like this. He just assumed that everyone had everything pretty much figured out in the afterlife. Taemin was proving that theory to be very wrong.

However, he wouldn’t give up on him. He’d learned a lot in the amount of time he’d been a ghost, and he was determined to help Taemin the best way he could.

“I think I know something that may help.”

Taemin quieted and turned to Jongin. “Something like what?”

“Well, I’m not sure it’ll work, but this lady I met once said that if a ghost returns to where they died, there’s a way to remember the events that happened before their death.”

Taemin was confused. “What? That doesn’t even make sense. How would that even work?”

“In the way she described it, our memories lay dormant in the back of our minds. It only takes one word or an object or even a person to cause us to recall memories that we completely forgot about. So, the theory is, if a ghost returns to the place they died, they’ll be able to recall a few important things that were forgotten.”

“So, I may be able to see what led up to me falling down the stairs?”

Jongin nodded. “Yes, and more importantly, I’m hoping you’ll be able to get away from this house. Maybe whatever you can’t remember is what’s keeping you tied to this house.”

Taemin went quiet as he thought to himself. Would this really work? Would remembering his death really allow him the freedom he desires? What was so important about his death anyway? It was only one way to find out.

He turned to Jongin before saying. “Ok. Let’s do it. But tomorrow, please? I don’t know why, but I’m already exhausted.”

Jongin nodded, “That’s normal. Especially when it’s your first time gaining control over manifesting. It’ll get less tiring as you continue to do it.”

“Ok. Well...what do we do now?”

“Um, I don’t know.” Jongin still wasn’t sure how to act in his new home.

“Race you upstairs!” And before Jongin could respond, Taemin vanished.

Jongin looked on with amusement, satisfied that Taemin was committed and trusted him to help.

—

It was the next day at the hospital, and everything seemed to be normal. There were no surprise visits from vampires, and more importantly, no surprise visits from Keun-Suk.

The only thing that seemed out of place was Minho.

Jinki sat in the cafeteria at their usual table as he waited for Minho to randomly pop up with that contagious grin of his. However, after about ten minutes of waiting, the lone wolf was nowhere in sight, which was quite unusual.

Jinki glanced around the cafeteria in confusion, stopping once he looked out the large window to see the person he was looking for. There, Minho sat on a bench in the courtyard of the hospital looking like he was deep in thought.

Jinki let out a sigh before getting up and ordering a sandwich, then making his way out of the cafeteria. He exited the hospital, quickly making his way to the courtyard towards the man. He slowed his footsteps as he walked up behind Minho.

“Hey,” he said, causing Minho to jump in surprise, grabbing at his chest as his heart began to race.

Jinki smiled kindly as he sat next to Minho. “I brought you a sandwich,” he said as he held out the neatly wrapped sandwich.

Minho grabbed it gratefully. “Thanks, Jinki.”

When Minho sat there instead of ravaging the sandwich as usual, Jinki knew something was wrong. He wasn’t used to this side of Minho.

He gently nudged Minho’s shoulder to get his attention. “Is something wrong?”

Minho shrugged and quickly tried to change the subject. “It’s nothing. How’s your shift going so far?”

But Jinki wasn’t having it.

“Minho, I can tell something’s bothering you. You can talk to me.”

Minho was quiet for a while, wondering if he should say what’s on his mind. He was worried because he felt like he’d bothered Jinki enough with his problems. But he’d be lying if he said it didn’t feel good to have a friend to talk to. So, he decided to open up.

“I just... I miss my family. When I went back to the camper last night, I saw a picture I forgot to bring with me. It was one of me and my sister when we were kids. I was four and she was still a newborn. She was so cute back then.”

Minho smiled at the memory before continuing. “I remember trying so hard to be the best big brother ever. I always protected her. I cooked for her, drove her to school when our parents couldn’t take her to drama practice, I even beat up one of her exes for cheating on her. Oh, those were the days,” he smiled fondly as a hoard of memories rushed into his mind.

Jinki smiled as well as he noticed the positive shift in Minho’s mood. His sister always seemed to brighten him up.

Jinki replied, “I wish I could meet her. You’re always talking of good things about her. She sounds like a mini you.”

Minho chuckled. “She is, although she wouldn’t want to admit that.” He sighed as he continued, “Sorry for the mood. It’s just that when I saw that picture, it just made me spiral into my own thoughts.”

“What kind of thoughts?”

“Sometimes I regret running away. I’ve always been an impulsive guy. Maybe if I would’ve waited it out and learned how to control the wolf, then maybe I’d still be at home right now. Who knows? Maybe I would be married by now with kids. All of that got thrown away because I got bit.”

Jinki nodded as he tried to put himself in Minho’s shoes. He could only imagine the frustrations Minho went through after being bitten.

“So, what’s stopping you from going back now? It’s a few weeks until the next full moon, so you wouldn’t hurt them.”

“But that’s the problem. I have a really close family and we tell each other everything. Keeping this secret would be the hardest thing for me to do. If I went back now, I would be questioned to no end. They wouldn’t believe me if I told them what I am. Also, I just don’t trust myself around them. Who knows? Maybe one day I’d get so angry that even without the moon, I’d transform into a wolf and kill my whole family.”

“I don’t think you’d do that, Minho-”

“But how do you know? Anything is possible. I never thought I’d be able to kill an innocent person ever in my life, but I did. I’m trying to stop my family from being my next target, especially my baby sister. So, in that case, I have to stay away from them to keep them safe.”

Jinki wanted to argue with him, but he also understood where he was coming from. Although he never had siblings, he did have a family before becoming a vampire. He knew just how easy it was to harm a loved one without trying to.

Jinki decided to switch the conversation before any unwanted memories came back to haunt him.

“Speaking of the full moon,” he said as he shifted comfortably, “the next one is in approximately three weeks, meaning we need to start focusing on you getting more control over your wolf. Maybe then, you’d eventually be able to see your family without worrying about hurting them.”

Minho scoffed. “You make it sound like it’s so easy. If it were that easy, I’d still be with my family right now.”

Jinki nodded, “I understand that, but in order to make full moons a bit more pleasant for you, it would be wise to have some sense of what you’re doing. Have you met your wolf yet?”

Minho looked at Jinki as if he’d grown two heads. “What? What do you mean by met?”

“I mean, every werewolf has their own specific wolf that lives within them. Not just figuratively, but physically and mentally.”

“And...how do you know this?”

“As I’ve told you before, I made a lot of interesting friends throughout my lifetime. Friends from all walks of life that didn’t mind teaching me about themselves. A few of those friends happened to be werewolves. I know quite a bit.”

“And these wolf friends have somehow met their wolves too?”

Jinki nodded. “Yes, and as a result, they’re able to shift whenever they’d like. Not just on a full moon.”

Minho’s eyes widened. “Really? I thought that only pure bloods were capable of doing so.”

“That’s true as well, but if you’ve controlled your wolf for long enough and developed a bond with it, the wolf will become obedient and listen to you. It’s kind of like training a dog. Except the dog you’re training is also a part of you.”

“But,” Minho said confused about the whole thing. “How am I supposed to meet him?”

“Ah, that’s where we’re getting to. Have you ever heard of wolf meditation?”

“Wolf meditation?”

Jinki nodded. “Yeah. I’ve seen an old buddy of mine do it multiple times. He said it’s like normal meditation, except when you close your eyes, you dig into your subconscious mind to reach the depths of what usually lies dormant. The more detached you are from your wolf, the further back you’d have to search to find him.”

Minho frowned. This was a lot to take in on a Friday afternoon. “I’m still a little confused. So, you’re saying if I meditate, I’ll see my wolf in my mind?”

“Not just see him. You’ll be able to interact with him. It was explained to me that it’s the most important part of the meditation process. It’s where you come face to face with your wolf. In your case, it’ll be where you’d finally get acquainted with your wolf.”

“So, basically I’m supposed to meet him and then what? Give him a belly rub?”

Jinki chuckled. “If you could, that would be nice. But seriously, time is winding down and the more control you have over the change, the less likely you are to lose yourself.”

Minho nodded. Although meditating did sound quite odd, if it worked for Jinki’s friend, why not try it out himself?

“Ok,” Minho said as he nodded to himself. “I’ll do it, but will you help?”

Jinki gave a soft smile. “Of course. That’s what I’m here for. I’m not going to let you go through this process alone.”

“Great.”

A few moments of comfortable silence passed before Minho spoke up again.

“On the next full moon,” Minho started as he stared ahead, “Will you be there?”

Jinki raised his brows surprised at the question. He’d been so focused on getting Minho prepared for the full moon, that he hadn’t given much thought to what’s going to happen once the full moon comes. Maybe it would be a good idea to be there for the change, at least to see how Minho handles it.

“If you want me to.”

Minho turned to face Jinki before asking, “Do you want to?”

“I’d love to, but only if you’re comfortable with me being there.”

Minho sighed. “I just wouldn’t want to hurt you.”

“You don’t have to worry about me. I’m a big boy-”

“Also,” Minho cut him off as a thought came to mind, “It’ll be embarrassing for me. You see, when I change, I have to get naked-”

Jinki nearly choked, not knowing how to respond, before he quickly spewed, “Ah, don’t worry. I won’t be there for that part. I’ll just be nearby if you need any help. I can hear really well from long distances. Very long distances. I won’t have to be anywhere near you.”

Minho found Jinki’s reaction to be quite entertaining. The elder always seemed to be able to hold himself together, so to see him get all flustered over nudity was hilarious. Despite the age difference, Minho could tell there was an heir of innocence when it came to Jinki.

“Anyway,” said Jinki as he got himself together, trying not to think of a naked Minho. “I’ll explain more about wolf meditation when we get back home. Since we’re both off of work tomorrow, I thought it would be a good time to start. The sooner we get you comfortable with your wolf, the better your odds are at controlling it.”

Minho nodded. “Whatever you think will help, I’ll do it.”

“Ok, good. Now, eat your sandwich before it gets soggy,” Jinki chuckled before walking off to head back inside the hospital.

Minho looked on fondly as Jinki walked off, thankful that someone like him existed in his life now.

—

“You’re being quiet again.” Kibum’s voice brought Jonghyun back to reality.

Without fail, Jonghyun found himself back at the bar again thinking about last night’s events. Keun-Suk was proving to be a problem that Jonghyun would not be able to avoid — at least not easily. It was only a matter of time before he would strike again, and Jonghyun surely hoped he’d be prepared for it.

He was also mulling over Jinki’s words to him last night. He wants Jonghyun to lighten up on Minho and, especially, Taemin. Jonghyun had no idea what that would entail.

First of all, he’d only let Minho in passing. He knew absolutely nothing about the lone wolf, so that already made him weary. However, Jinki vouched for him, so Jonghyun knew that eventually he would have to make an attempt to be cordial with Minho, no matter how much his instincts told him not to trust wolves.

Second of all, Taemin was impossible to get along with, at least according to Jonghyun. He viewed Taemin as a moody, bratty, pest of a being. Maybe it was Jonghyun’s own fault that Taemin was so angsty towards him, but he still couldn’t find it in him to believe that Taemin was actually the sweet person Jinki led him to believe. The boy as 20, but easily acted like he was 15, thought Jonghyun.

Not to mention, there’s also another ghost in the house now —Jongin. What was Jinki turning their house into, he wondered.

But despite his feelings, he knew the only way for his relationship with Jinki to get better was for him to put his pride aside and ‘play nice’ with the ghosts and werewolf. He just had no idea where to start.

“Sorry,” said Jonghyun as he forced a polite smile on his face. “I was just-”

“Thinking?” Kibum finished his sentence and Jonghyun nodded. “Yeah, you seem to always have something on your mind. Is it something you want to talk about?”

Jonghyun quickly shook his head no. “It’s not anything serious. Just a little tired.”

Kibum shook his head in fake disappointment as he let out a tsk. “If I remember correctly, I do believe we’re friends now, and friends do tell each other everything, Jonghyun.”

Jonghyun smirked before leaning forward to place a hand on the back of Kibum’s hand —which was wiping down the bar top with a wet rag — halting his motion. “I’m fine, Kibum. If it were serious, I would tell you, ok?” And with that, he let go of his hand and sat back in his seat.

Kibum awkwardly cleared his throat and nodded as he continued to wipe down the bar top in circular motions. He still wasn’t convinced by Jonghyun’s words, but he didn’t want to push him to tell him something if he wasn’t comfortable. And with him finally confirming that they’re friends, he didn’t want to push the man away so soon.

“What about you,” asked Jonghyun, trying to change the subject. “Did you survive your parents last night?”

Kibum rolled his eyes at the thought, throwing the rag in a laundry bin under the bar. “Yeah. I always do. My dad just yelled a bit, told me I’m disrespectful, and that I should be lucky I’m not out on the streets. Nothing new.”

Jonghyun grimaced. “Sounds horrible.”

“It is. But at this point, I’ve zoned out my family’s bullshit. I’m just ready to move out because I don’t know how much longer I’ll be able to handle it.”

“Mmm,” Jonghyun said as he nodded. He wasn’t sure what to say about Kibum’s situation. He just knew it was something that seemed to bother the younger man immensely.

He understood though. As soon as he hit 18, he was out of his parents’ house. Hundreds of years later, and he still hated his family, the one he had years before turning into a vampire — an abusive father and a gold digger of a mom. So, he could empathize with Kibum.

“What’s your family like,” Kibum asked absentmindedly.

For a normal person, answering this question would be no problem. However, Jonghyun wasn’t normal. His answer to this question changed every time depending on who was asking.

But this was Kibum — a man with a problematic family of his own, a man with obvious abandonment issues due to past relationships. Should Jonghyun be somewhat truthful and talk about his horrible home life? At least they could relate a little in that case.

Or should he give him a fairytale version of some made-up family he used to daydream about? Would that give Kibum hope or make him feel worse about his own situation?

Jonghyun decided to do neither and just give a generic answer. “They’re ok. We don’t talk much these days. We’re all busy with our own lives.”

This seemed to interest Kibum more than Jonghyun hoped. “You don’t keep in contact with them?”

“Here and there. Once every blue moon, I guess.”

Kibum frowned, “You don’t miss them?”

“We’re not that close.”

Kibum nodded, getting the hint that Jonghyun didn’t want to talk about his family. “I see. I wish I could say the same about mine. Talking to them once every blue moon would be a dream. But for now, I’m stuck with them.”

“Last night was fun though,” Jonghyun said abruptly in an attempt to change the conversation.

He succeeded once Kibum gave a stunned look before smiling. “You really think so?” He surely hoped he didn’t bore Jonghyun so much that he didn’t want to hang out with him again.

Jonghyun gave a soft smile back in return before nodding. “I don’t usually go out. I hate crowded places, but I enjoyed your company.”

Kibum snickered. “You hate crowded places, but you come here every day.”

“But is it crowded now,” Jonghyun asked as he gestured around the near-empty room.

“I stand corrected,” said Kibum as he grinned. He continued, “But did you really enjoy our night out?”

“You’ve gotta stop doing that,” Jonghyun said with sincerity.

“Doing what?”

“Being unsure of yourself.”

Kibum nearly scoffed. “What makes you think I’m so unsure of myself?”

“I’ve just noticed it quite a few times. You’re not boring to be around, Kibum. Actually, you’re quite the opposite. I want you to be able to see that for yourself as well. When I told you we were friends, I meant it.”

And Jonghyun really did mean it. They hadn’t known each other for that long, but it was hard not to notice how self-deprecating Kibum was of himself. For whatever odd reason, Jonghyun had an interest in him. So of course, he thought Kibum was the furthest thing from boring. He could see that he was a sweet guy under all of that sass.

“Sorry,” said Kibum as he glanced down to avoid eye contact. “I guess I’m still trying to get used to having a friend. I know it probably sounds so childish but going from being alone for most of the time to having a friend again is something I’m not quite used to yet. And I guess it’s just hard for me to believe that anyone would want to be my friend now, especially after everything that happened with my ex.”

Here goes this ex again, Jonghyun thought. Whoever this ex was seemed to really make a lasting negative impact on Kibum.

He sighed as he leaned on the counter before continuing. “I didn’t used to be this way. I was so confident in myself, and I gave zero fucks about what anyone had to say about me. Well, I guess I am still like that in some respects. But...I don’t know.... I guess after everything that happened with my ex, my self-esteem took a hit. I....sorry I’m unloading all of this on you so early in the day.”

Jonghyun quickly shook his head. “It’s ok. You don’t have to be sorry. You can talk to me about whatever’s bothering you.”

Kibum smiled, “Thanks. And the same goes for you, Mr. Mysterious.”

Jonghyun rolled his eyes, playfully of course. He knew the conversation would somehow swing right back to himself. It’s not that he didn’t want to tell Kibum about his problems. It’s just that a lot of his problems involved the paranormal, and it would be so easy for him to slip up and say something he didn’t want to be said. He didn’t want to put Kibum in danger.

But he also couldn’t refuse the idea of having someone to confide in. That person used to be Jinki, and Jonghyun is still trying to mend that relationship, but sometimes Jinki wasn’t enough. However, he wasn’t ready to open up, at least not now.

—

“So where exactly did you die again?” Jongin asked a nervous Taemin sitting on his bedroom floor.

As promised, Jongin was up bright and early to help Taemin remember his death. Taemin wanted to do this with no one else in the house because he didn’t want to be distracted. He also didn’t want to have anyone there if — and when — he failed, especially Jinki. The older vampire had done so much for him so Taemin just wanted to make him proud.

Taemin shrugged as he desperately tried to remember. “I’m guessing it would have to be at the bottom of the stairs. I mean, that’s where I woke up anyway.”

Jongin nodded before softly smiling. “Ok. Take us there.”

Taemin froze but quickly got up with excitement. He’d been getting more comfortable lately with manifestation, and he owed that to Jongin. Even though he’d failed severely at leaving the house, he wasn’t going to give up. Not with so many people cheering him on. Jinki, Minho, and now Jongin.

It felt nice.

Taemin walked to Jongin, grabbing his wrist upon meeting him. Jongin said, “Are you ready? Do you still feel tired from yesterday?”

Yesterday’s activities surely did take a toll on Taemin. He felt so drained, which Jongin said was normal for a spirit’s first time manifesting. But now, Taemin was more ready than ever.

“I’m fine,” he answered before another thought came to mind. “Well, on second thought, I am a little nervous.”

“What are you nervous about?”

Taemin detached his hand from Jongin’s wrist as he sighed. “Well, you said whatever we’re doing today could reveal things about my death that I didn’t know. What if something’s revealed that I was better off not knowing?”

“Ah, so you’re having doubts.” Taemin nodded and Jongin continued. “Whatever you may see, as exciting or disappointing as it may be, it’s what will get you one step closer to leaving this place. It’s whatever this house may be trying to tell you. There’s no way of being 100% certain about anything. I can’t even be sure that this will work, but we’ve got to at least try, right?”

Taemin looked down at his hands nervously and nodded again. Jongin was right. He had to at least try. Being doubtful wasn’t going to help anything.

“Ok. I’m ready. But....what if it doesn’t work? Where do we go from there?”

Jongin hoped Taemin didn’t ask that question because, to be honest, he wasn’t sure where to go from there if it didn’t work. Yes, it was true that he knew a lot more than Taemin about being a ghost. However, he still felt that his own knowledge was very limited. He didn’t know everything. He wasn’t as wise as Jinki — one of the reasons why he was hesitant to say yes to this task in the first place.

However, looking at Taemin’s innocent face made Jongin want to help him as best as he could, even if things didn’t always work out. Taemin was beginning to trust him, even if he didn’t trust himself. And that was enough for Jongin to commit to helping Taemin figure himself out.

So instead of voicing his insecurities, Jongin said confidently, “If it doesn’t work, we’ll find another way. I don’t give up easily, Taemin, and neither should you.”

Satisfied in his answer, Taemin grabbed Jongin’s wrist again, this time feeling a little better about what they’re about to do.

Almost effortlessly, Taemin teleported the two of them to the bottom of the staircase.

Taemin opened his eyes before smiling. “Damn, I’m getting good at this!”

Jongin chuckled, “Yes, you are. I told you it’s easy.”

“Yeah, we’ll it’ll be easier if I could go anywhere outside of this house.”

“It would, but that’s what we’re going to hopefully get figured out today — with this very spot.”

They both looked down at the bottom of the staircase. It was blind to the naked eye, but when looking at it further, it wasn’t hard to miss the apparent crack in the floor.

Taemin absentmindedly touched the back of his head while looking at it. “This must be where it happened. Shit, I must’ve really hit my head hard if I cracked the floor like that.”

Just looking at that spot was a little overwhelming for Taemin. This is where it all ended — or began depending on how you look at it. His life ended, but his days living as a spirit began at the very spot they were standing.

Jongin brought Taemin out of his thoughts by asking, “Are you ready?”

Taemin shrugged. “I don’t know, but I guess we should stop wasting time. What do I need to do?”

“Well, there are various ways for this to work. You could place your hands on the spot, and your memories should come rushing back to you. You could also lay in the spot you died. I’ve seen people regain their memories that way as well. Lastly, you could reenact your death.”

Taemin raised his brows. “Reenact?”

Jongin nodded. “Yeah. Like if you were to trip down the stairs again-”

“No,” said Taemin abruptly. “I don’t want to do that. Just...no.”

As strong as he wanted to be, there was no way he would be able to put himself through that. Dying really sucked the first time. He didn’t want to do it again, even if it was just ‘re-enacting’ it.

Jongin quickly said, “It’s ok. You don’t have to. Um, how about we just start easy first — your hands. Place both of your hands on the crack.”

Hesitantly, Taemin kneeled down placing both of his hands on the spot. “Ok. Now what?”

“We wait.”

“Wait? And how long should it take?”

“It doesn’t usually take that long, but you have to concentrate, Taemin. Close your eyes and concentrate. Try your best to remember.”

Taemin nodded as he closed his eyes. He was still very much confused on what they were doing, but he had to trust the process.

The two ghosts stayed in silence for what felt like an eternity. All Taemin saw was the darkness underneath his eyes. No memories came rushing in and he didn’t feel anything beneath his hands. But he didn’t want to voice his concerns. He wanted to try his best.

After what seemed like forever, Jongin broke the silence saying, “Do you see anything?”

Taemin shook his head no. “Nothing.”

Jongin sighed. “I had a feeling this house wasn’t going to make this easy for us.”

Taemin finally opened his eyes before sinking his shoulders in defeat. “Just forget it. I’ll just be stuck in this house-”

“We’re not done. There’s still another thing you can do that I think will work. You’ll have to lie down on the spot you died. Exactly how you died,”

“Exactly?”

“Yeah. Wherever your gash is on the back of your head, that’s where you’ll have to place your head on the crack. It’s a bit more personal than just placing your hands on there.”

“And you think this will really work,” asked Taemin in an insecure voice.

Jongin nodded. He too wasn’t sure, but he had more faith in this than Taemin doing it with his hands. “Now, lay down slowly.”

Taemin felt for the gash in his head, cringing when he felt the liquid. “I think I’ll need a little help. I don’t know if I’ll be able lower myself exactly on the spot.”

“I’ll help you.” Jongin kneeled in front of Taemin, gently placing his hand on both of his shoulders. “Are you ready?”

Taemin nodded, trying his best to ignore how close they were.

“Ok. Close your eyes and keep them closed. This may hurt a little. I’m sorry in advance.”

“Wait what-”

And before Taemin could finish his sentence, Jongin quickly slammed Taemin’s back down into the floor, making sure his head hit the crack in the floor upon impact.

He knew if he told Taemin this was part of the process, the young ghost would’ve said no. The soft and delicate approach wasn’t working, so Taemin’s body needed something to kickstart the process. Jongin only hoped he was right.

Taemin was frightened. However, right as he expected to feel the impact of the concrete floor onto the back of his head, nothing came. Instead, he opened his eyes and found himself standing in his bathroom— except it wasn’t how it looks now. It looked like how he remembered it when he was alive. Bright and colorful, the way his mom decorated it because she said Taemin and his brother had poor taste.

Taemin smiled a little at the memory before a question came to mind.

Why am I here?

Where was Jongin? Why was he in the bathroom? Did he time travel? Is he still a ghost or a human?

To test the theory, Taemin tried to pick up a toothbrush that was sitting on top of the sink, but it sadly went through his hand. So still a ghost.

He was still confused on what this all meant. Jongin hadn’t exactly explained the process well enough.

As he still tried to figure things out, he heard a voice and quickly turned toward the bathroom door. He wasn’t sure if he was supposed to hide or say anything, but those thoughts flew out the window once he saw who came into the bathroom.

It was himself — dressed in the exact same pajamas, too. He had earphones blasting loud rock music as he began to brush his teeth.

“What the hell,” said Taemin as he watched. Was this the past? It seemed like this was the night he died, so maybe this is the memory he was searching for.

Taemin looked at himself dancing wildly while brushing his teeth without a care in the world. He became emotional as he saw the joy and light in his former self’s eyes. That’s how he used to be. He was always happy and carefree, something he lacked nowadays.

“Hey, brat!”

Taemin heard the familiar voice say from the hallway. It was obviously his brother. Oh, how much he missed his brother calling him names, as weird as it sounds.

His older brother rushed into the bathroom before ripping the earphones out of Taemin’s ears.

“Hey!” Shouted Taemin, mouth full of toothpaste before spitting it out and turning to his brother. “What the hell?!”

“You stole my earphones again you little shit! How many times do I need to tell you to leave my stuff alone!”

Taemin rolled his eyes. “Jeez, calm down. It’s not even that serious. We borrow each other’s things all the time.”

“No, you steal things from me all the time-”

“I didn’t steal anything! I asked you earlier if I could borrow your earphones and you said yes. Maybe you would remember it if you weren’t stoned out your mind half the time.”

It was all starting to come back now. He remembered this fight with his brother the more the scene played out. They always fought over little stupid things, so Taemin didn’t think it was serious. However, it must have been important enough to be stored in his memory before his death. As for why this situation has anything to do with his death, Taemin didn’t know.

“Shut the fuck up. Drugs have nothing to do with this. It’s the fact that you’re a damn liar! I never gave you permission to touch my shit-”

“Yes, you did! You know what? Whatever. Here, have your stupid earphones,” he said as he threw them at his brother. “They suck anyway.”

He shoved passed his brother and walked into the hallway.

Taemin quickly exited the bathroom as he followed his past self and his brother.

Taesun shouted after Taemin. “Yeah, just walk away like the baby you are! You’re probably going to go snitch on me to mom and dad, aren’t you?”

Taemin paused walking once he’d reached the staircase. He turned to his brother saying, “No, I’m not. And I’m not a baby! Just leave me alone.”

“Just leave me alone,” his brother mocked. “Hey, why don’t you cry for milk while you’re at it. I’m sure mom and dad will bring it to you on a silver platter.”

“Dude,” said Taemin getting fed up. He was tired and he needed to wake up early for dance rehearsals in the morning. “Just drop it. You got back the fucking earphones, now leave me alone. You sound jealous.”

That seemed the tick his brother off. “Jealous?! I’m the farthest from that, lil bro. I just can’t stand mom and dad favoring you over me. You get to do everything you want. You get to choose dancing while I’m being forced to be dad’s handyman.”

Taemin scoffed. “Bro, no one’s forcing you to do anything! You just don’t have enough of a backbone to stand up to mom and dad. They tried to convince me to change my major so many times. You know this. But unlike you, I didn’t give in-”

“Because it’s easy for you! You’re not the firstborn. I have so much to live up to while you get to skate by and-”

Taemin was not able to hear the rest of the sentence because his vision blurred, and everything suddenly faded to black. The next thing he knew, he was back at the bottom of the stairs with Jongin looking over him. He quickly sat up in a panic, unsure on what just happened.

Jongin wasted no time calming Taemin down. “Hey, hey, it’s ok. You’re fine. Calm down. Everything’s ok.”

Taemin struggled to speak, still shaken up at what had just happened. “W-What was that?”

“Your memories. What did you see?”

Taemin didn’t even know where to start. “Me....and my brother. We were arguing.”

“About what?”

“About me stealing his earphones? I don’t know. Things kind of took a turn.”

“Were you able to see how you died?”

Taemin shook his head slowly as tears pricked his eyes. That was the one reason he even went through all of this, but he was still at square one. Nothing in his memories hinted at his death.

“Such a waste of time.”

Jongin sat there awkwardly again. Taemin sure did cry a lot. He still wasn’t used to it, but no matter how often he cried, Jongin still couldn’t help feeling bad for the guy. Some type of obstacle seemed to always get in Taemin’s way.

“Hey,” said Jongin, “It’s ok.”

“No, it’s not,” whined Taemin. “We went through all of that and I still don’t know anything. It’s such a waste-”

“But it wasn’t. You said in your memories that it was you and your brother, right?”

Taemin nodded, breathing deeply to prevent himself from crying.

“And no one else was in the memory?” Taemin shook his head no and Jongin continued. “So maybe your biggest clue is your brother?”

Taemin lifted his head, looking at Jongin in confusion. “What are you trying to say?”

Jongin quickly defended. “I’m not trying to say anything. I’m just saying that if your memories only focused on you and your brother, maybe he could have the answers to your death. I’m not pointing the finger at anyone. I’m just saying that maybe he’s the key you need to understand what’s going on.”

What would Taesun have to do with his death, thought Taemin. Although they fought a lot, Taemin knew Taesun loved him and would never do anything to hurt him.

He commented, “Maybe my death is connected to someone Taesun knows. He did have a lot of friends.”

“Do you really think that could be the case?”

Taemin sighed and shrugged. “I don’t know. It could be anything at this point. I’m too tired to think right now.”

Jongin nodded. “Yeah, this is a tiring process. I’m thinking that’s why you were unable to finish seeing your memory. We can try again another time to see if you’re better able to remember more details.”

Taemin nodded before saying, “I’m hoping Jinki agrees to invite my brother over. I’ve been trying to convince him, but he’s too worried about something going wrong. But maybe if Taesun’s here in person, it’ll trigger my memories. What do you think?”

Jongin shrugged. “It’s worth a try. Do you really think Jinki will agree to it?”

“I don’t know,” said Taemin as he stared off into space. “So, does this mean I’m still stuck in this house?”

Jongin really didn’t know the answer to that. It’s his first time teaching someone how to be a ghost, so some things are a mystery to him as well. However, wanted to remain hopeful, at least for Taemin. The broken look on his face really bothered Jongin. It made him not want to give up.

Jongin replied, “You’ll be free of this place soon. Think of it this way. You got a bit of your memory back. It may not seem like a big deal now, but this is a step in the right direction.”

Taemin looked down sniffing before mumbling, “I hope so.”

—  
Flash Forward: 7:56 PM

Jinki was walking out of a patient’s room when he heard the commotion.

“Hurry! Quickly! He’s unconscious and losing a lot of blood!”

“Get, Dr. Lee! Now!”

Upon hearing his name, Jinki quickly made his way towards the noise, seeing a patient laid out on a stretcher being rolled his way towards the emergency room.

“Dr. Lee!” said one of the nurses wheeling the patient his way. “This patient was just brought in. He seems to have been stabbed and is losing a lot of blood.”

As the nurse got closer to him, Jinki was able to get a good look at the man laying on the stretcher.

He froze.

It was Jonghyun.


	8. Chaos.

1 hour before

Jonghyun checked his watch, noting how late into the evening it was getting. Well, it wasn’t that late for him, but he knew that Jinki would be getting off of work soon, and it would be nice to finally be home for once when Jinki arrived.

Besides distracting Kibum from doing work, Jonghyun spent a good part of his day at the bar still thinking over Jinki’s words to him. As much as his pride didn’t want to admit, Jinki was right. Jonghyun hadn’t made much of an effort to ‘play nice’ with their new roommates, and Jonghyun knew that.

He’d been so used to only having Jinki around, that the sudden change in people around him really made him uncomfortable. As much of a sociable person as Jonghyun could be, he really valued his personal space.

However, he was indebted to Jinki. The older vampire sacrificed so much for him that Jonghyun knew he had to at least try — for Jinki.

The first step to him was being home on time. It seemed like such a tiny gesture, but he remembered how bothered Jinki was that he was never there. In Jonghyun’s mind, hopefully being home when Jinki arrived would show Jinki that he cared about him and that he would make an effort to be around more, even if he’d most likely be annoyed by Taemin.

It’d be in his best interest to get on everyone’s good side anyway, now that he thought about it. He was outnumbered against Taemin, Minho, and Jongin (Jonghyun struggled to remember the other ghost’s name). He wanted to live his life stress-free, and part of that involved his living situation.

He sighed as he slowly stood up from his seat. He caught Kibum’s questioning eye as the bartender came back from serving a drink. “I should head out,” said Jonghyun.

“Leaving so soon? This is new for you.”

Jonghyun shrugged. “Yeah, I gotta be home before my roommate. He lost his key.” Ok, so his lie was partially true.

“Oh, ok,” Kibum answered with a dejected look that wasn’t hard to miss.

“But I’ll be around,” Jonghyun piped. He was so concerned about Jinki that he didn’t think of how him leaving early could affect Kibum.

Wait. Did it affect Kibum? He wondered.

The young bartender was so used to having Jonghyun around now. Even during the times where they didn’t even talk or spare a glance at each other, just knowing that Jonghyun was there was so comforting to Kibum. He’d finally made a friend, and he really cherished that.

However, he wasn’t a baby, and he didn’t want to be treated like one. He didn’t want Jonghyun feeling like he needed to keep visiting the bar for his sake. Still, Kibum couldn’t help the dark cloud that was forming over him as Jonghyun slowly made his way towards the door.

“See you around,” said Jonghyun as he gave a slight wave and gentle smile.

“See ya,” said Kibum, barely audible. But of course, Jonghyun heard it.

Jonghyun rounded the corner of the bar, opting to take a shortcut through the alleyway. People rarely walked that direction, which was perfect for him because he wanted to be alone. He needed time to himself, this walk being the perfect time, to think of what he’ll do when he gets home.

Would it be awkward talking to Minho with him being a werewolf and all? Should he wait to go home after Jinki arrives to avoid the awkward tension with Taemin? Or would it be better to squash everything with Taemin first before Jinki got home? Would he even be able to handle Taemin’s bratty, as he referred to it, attitude without Jinki there?

Should he stop by the store and bring some food and beer for Minho? He had heard humans like to bond over drinks. At least, that was something he faintly remembered doing as a human himself. What do humans even eat these days, he wondered. He hoped it would be seen as a kind gesture.

However, he also contemplated not going through with that plan because he didn’t want Minho to be offended thinking he was trying to butter him up. To be honest, he had no idea what the wolf’s personality was like. Maybe he was easygoing. Or maybe he was a total dick. Who knew?

What would satisfy a ghost, he wondered as he paused his steps. Two ghosts at that. It’s not like any physical gift would work. Oh, maybe he could buy a CD of one of Taemin’s favorite musical artists and play it for him — oh wait, he didn’t know anything about Taemin either. Did he even like music? He thought he remembered the ghost saying something about being a dancer. Then again, he could be wrong.

Jonghyun sighed and shook his head to himself. He couldn’t be annoyed at anyone, but himself for being stumped. It’s not like he made an effort to get to know them anyway.

He opted to just go home. He’d figure out something when he got there.

As soon as he made the step to continue walking, he stopped in his tracks when he noticed a scent. It smelled too familiar, yet he couldn’t put a finger on it. However, something just didn’t seem right.

Soon enough, his questions were answered when two vampires, who he knew very well, came into his view. What now, thought Jonghyun — not ready to deal with The Order’s bullshit.

“Well, look who we have here,” said a figure making his way out from behind a dumpster, a smaller figure soon following. Jonghyun quickly recognized them as being two of the newer Order members he came across before he left. “Keun-Suk’s favorite bitch boy.”

Jonghyun rolled his eyes out of annoyance as he sighed. Of course. When would his former ‘leader’ ever leave him the hell alone?

He answered calmly, “Chanyeol, Baekhyun. I see you two are still a thing.” He almost smirked as he remembered those two vampires being a part of some of the many rumors that flew around the large vampire estate.

Baekhyun, the shy timid vampire who was too soft for this lifestyle. Then there’s Chanyeol, the insecure overcompensating vampire that had more bark than bite. Jonghyun didn’t have too many run-ins with them, but he distinctly remembered trying to avoid them because they were so damn annoying, along with many of the other new recruits in The Order.

Too flustered for a comeback, Baekhyun looked at Chanyeol for help.

“Still following after Chanyeol, I see,” said Jonghyun. “After being gone for so long, I thought you would’ve found your backbone by now-”

“Hey!” Chanyeol cut him off as the two of them walked closer to Jonghyun, “We didn’t come here for that.”

Jonghyun quirked an eyebrow. “And what did you come for?”

Chanyeol looked at Baekhyun in encouragement before Baekhyun responded, “We came to deliver a message from our leader.”

Jonghyun leaned his head back toward the sky in irritation before whispering to himself, “What part of leave me the hell alone doesn’t Keun-Suk understand?”

Baekhyun piped, “What part of being loyal to The Order don’t you understand? Keun-Suk gave us all a gift, a gift you still possess while you and Jinki run off into the sunset, basically telling The Order to go fuck off. You’re so selfish.”

Jonghyun grimaced. “Loyalty, huh? You two have only been in The Order, for what, two years now? Well, I’d been there for fucking centuries. I’d been in that shit well before you guys were even born. So, what the fuck do you think you can tell me about loyalty when you two are still low-level members taking orders from a man who doesn’t give two shits about you?”

Baekhyun’s voice quivered as he answered, “That’s not true-”

“Yes it is. I’d been there long enough to know how it works. If you two are still being sent out on missions like this, you mean nothing more to him than the next victim he wants to drain-”

“Enough,” said Chanyeol as he pushed Baekhyun behind him. “We didn’t come here for this and we’re already wasting time. Like Baekhyun said before, we came to deliver a message.”

Jonghyun shrugged. “Ok? Being what?” If it had been anything like the previous attempts, Jonghyun already knew. Keun-Suk wanted him back, and the answered would be no.

Instead of giving a straight answer, both Chanyeol and Baekhyun reached around their backs, both pulling out what looked like a short metal pipe with razor-like shards sticking out the end.

Jonghyun really didn’t have time for this shit.

Chanyeol commented, “A few Order members seem to be thinking that you and Jinki have been a little..... out of line lately. Siwon already paid Jinki a visit, and now it’s your turn.”

Before Jonghyun could answer, Chanyeol made a sprint towards him. Swiftly, Jonghyun lunged forward and grabbed the younger vampire by the neck, sinking his elongated nails into the skin, before slamming him on the concrete. Without missing a beat, one of his legs kicked Baekhyun, who was coming up behind him, into the wall.

This was too easy, thought Jonghyun. “If you’re going to attack me, you could at least do some training first!” Another reason why Jonghyun knew Keun-Suk didn’t give a fuck about these two vampires.

He backed away from Chanyeol as he said, “You still wanna go? I got somewhere to be.”

Chanyeol groaned from frustration as he stood up holding his neck, which was healing on its own by then. He glanced over to Baekhyun who was shaking off being throwing into a brick wall.

Upon seeing Baekhyun in such a state, Chanyeol was livid. He sprinted toward Jonghyun again, only to be picked up and dropped into the concrete again.

“Have you got it in your mind yet?! I don’t wanna have to hurt you,” said Jonghyun.

He was really holding back. Why? He wasn’t even sure himself. Maybe because the two vampires reminded him of himself when he first joined The Order. You have to try so hard to prove yourself, to even be noticed by Keun-Suk who made it quite clear who his favorites were. These types of missions usually put one’s rank at risk and being demoted was never an acceptable outcome.

Jonghyun backed off again, and from his peripheral, he saw Baekhyun running full speed towards him with the pipe above his head. Baekhyun swung, but missed as Jonghyun dodged his attacked. More swings came as Baekhyun refused to give up, Jonghyun dodging every single one before hastily grabbing Baekhyun’s wrist. He twisted it at the speed of light causing the young vampire to drop the pipe, letting out a painful scream.

Before Jonghyun could register it, Chanyeol came flying towards him, sending a kick to his ribs. Jonghyun was forced to let go off Baekhyun’s wrist as flew to the ground, grabbing at his side.

Chanyeol didn’t let up, immediately going for another attack, but missing as Jonghyun dodged his oncoming fists and wrapped a tight arm around Chanyeol’s neck forcing him onto the ground. Jonghyun let go, quickly getting on top of him and punching him relentlessly in the face.

Now, he was pissed.

His attacks on Chanyeol’s face didn’t stop until he caught a whiff of something familiar. His fist stopped mid-punch as he sniffed the air at the familiar scent, a scent he wanted nowhere near the scene.

Unfortunately, Jonghyun was so enamored with the familiar smell, that he was too distracted to notice Baekhyun running up beside him with the metal pipe, fully lodging it into the side of Jonghyun’s stomach.

The only feeling he could register was pain.

—

“Hey, Kibum! Take out the trash will ya!”

Kibum rolled his eyes extra hard at his boss’s order. Here I am, thought Kibum, busting my ass making drinks and cleaning up the place while you stay in your office counting money. Can’t even take out the damn trash yourself.

Admittedly, Kibum was a little irritable, to say the least. It had been a slow evening, and since he wasn’t working the night shift that night, he was really hoping to have a decent number of customers that evening for a decent pay. At this rate, it would take forever to finally move out of his parents’ house. Just the thought alone was so depressing.

He took a deep breath before leaving the bar stand to head to the back exit door where the black trash bag awaited him. He picked up the bag, trying his best to hold his breath because whatever was in there stank badly.

He kicked open the back door and made the short walk to the dumpster, aggressively throwing the trash bag inside. He groaned to himself as he noticed some of the ‘trash juice’ spill on his shoes.

“I hate my life” he muttered to himself as he made his way back towards the bar.

As soon as he reached the door, he halted his steps as he heard what sounded like a tussle happening. Was someone fighting? Did someone need help? Usually in situations like these, Kibum would mind his own business. However, he was curious.

He rounded the dumpster, peeking out into the alley until he saw what looked to be a fight between one guy and two others. He rolled his eyes to himself, thinking it was just some drunk idiots again.

His disdain soon turned to concern when he saw one of the men run towards the other man with a metal pipe. He was shocked to see the man lunge the metal pipe into the side of the other.

Kibum’s blood quickly drained from his face, and before he knew it, he was running toward the men screaming “Hey! What are you doing?! Hey! Get off of him!”

And at that, the two men, being Baekhyun and Chanyeol, ran off quicker than Kibum could register. Kibum was absolutely floored. What the hell just happened?!

However, he didn’t have time to ponder. Especially when he caught a glimpse of who it was screaming on the ground in pain.

“J-Jonghyun?” His voice shook and eyes glistened as soon as he saw his face.

He quickly ran towards him in a panic, kneeling down before him as he took in the sight. There Jonghyun was with a metal pipe stuck in the side of his stomach, and blood pooling out the side of his mouth. Kibum felt like fainting.

“Jonghyun! What happened?! Can you hear me?!” His cries went unanswered as Jonghyun continued to scream in pain. Kibum grabbed his face hoping to get him to focus on him. “Look at me, look at me, shh.”

It was at that moment that Jonghyun wished the myths about vampires not feeling pain were true. Yeah they had super strength, could heal quickly, and it took a lot to hurt them, but anything as traumatic as getting metal lodged inside of your stomach was going to be painful regardless.

He was in so much pain, that he couldn’t even understand what was going on. With the metal being stuck inside of him, his body wasn’t being allowed to heal itself properly. Even in his frantic state, one thing he knew was that the metal would need to be removed.

He groaned, “K-Kibum-”

Kibum quickly shooshed, “No, it’s ok. I’m here. Save your energy, Jonghyun. I’m gonna get you some help,” he said frantically.

Jonghyun choked out a barely audible, “T-Take..it..out.”

Kibum looked on in horror as fresh tears began running down his face. He was panicking and nothing was making sense to him. “Jonghyun, I think we need to call the cops-”

“No! Just take it out!” Jonghyun said with a sense of urgency.

“But... It’ll hurt you! Let me at least get an ambulance-”

Before Kibum could finish the sentence, Jonghyun’s hands reached up and slowly, painfully pulled out the lodged metal from his stomach. “AHHH!” The metal flew out of his body and onto the concrete.

As horrifying and bizarre as the scene was, Kibum couldn’t find it in himself to turn away. His voice quivered, “I think I’m gonna throw up.”

With the metal out of his body, Jonghyun should have been able to heal himself. However, due to the sheer trauma his body went through, he was losing more blood than his body could regenerate, causing it to be nearly impossible to self-heal.

Kibum reached into his pocket, shakily retrieving his phone. “J-Jonghyun, I have to call the cops-”

With the little strength that Jonghyun could muster, he quickly rose up to knock the phone out of Kibum’s hands before reiterating, “No, cops!”

Call him paranoid, but Jonghyun had a gut feeling that this was all part of Keun-Suk’s plan. With Keun-Suk being so connected, who’s to say that the cops who would show up wouldn’t be Order members ready to wisp him away back to The Order’s estate? Jonghyun didn’t want to take his chances.

Kibum tried to argue back with Jonghyun about how not getting the cops involved made absolutely no sense, but when he saw Jonghyun coughing up more blood, he decided against it. They were losing time.

Kibum quickly nodded his head, “Ok. No cops. But Jonghyun, I’m trying to help you. At least let me get you to a hospital. I.....I can’t lose you,” his voice cracked near the end.

Call him selfish, but just the thought of his only friend leaving him to be all alone again really upset him. He was finally starting to enjoy life a little more with Jonghyun’s company. As pathetic as it sounded, if Jonghyun left him, who would he have left to turn to?

Jonghyun’s vision began to blur, a sign that he needed blood — fast. Kibum was right. He did need to get to the hospital. Not because he needed to have his wound stitched, but because he needed blood, and he knew Jinki was there and would know what to do. He always knew what to do. He just hoped they’d get there in time. He had no choice.

He slowly nodded his head signaling that he agreed with Kibum.

Kibum cautiously placed one of Jonghyun’s arms over his shoulders. Meanwhile, he hooked an arm around the side of Jonghyun that was not injured. “This may hurt, ok? I’m sorry.”

At that, Kibum slowly stood up, clutching to Jonghyun so he wouldn’t fall. Jonghyun screamed and groaned the whole time he made his way up to his feet. His gaping wound ripped a little as he moved.

As hastily as they could, they made their way to Kibum’s car that was parked conveniently at the back of the bar. As he was walking Jonghyun to the passenger side, the back door to the bar flew open with his boss walking out in confusion.

“Kibum, what’s taking so long-” He halted his words taking in the appearance of Kibum with a bloodied shirt hoisting up an equally bloodied man. “What the hell happened to him?”

Kibum quickly explained as he placed a miserable Jonghyun in the passenger seat. “I found my friend like this when I was taking out the trash. He’s hurt so I’m taking him to the hospital. I’m sorry, but I have to leave early.”

He didn’t wait to hear a response, quickly running over to the driver’s side of the car. He quickly got in, slamming the door shut, and hightailing it to the hospital. He called the hospital on his way there to let them know to be ready to receive a patient at the ER.

——

Present Time

Upon seeing Jonghyun laying on that stretcher motionless and covered in blood, so many possibilities popped up in Jinki’s mind. Did Jonghyun get into a fight? Did The Order do this? Did Jonghyun harm a human?

Jinki was really confused with the amount of blood Jonghyun was covered in. They could usually heal by themselves, which led him to believe that Jonghyun must have gotten into some trouble if he’s actually losing blood.

There were so many questions, but so little time to wonder as the commotion in the ER developed. One thing Jinki knew was that Jonghyun needed blood, and fast.

Jinki quickly ordered, “Wheel this patient to ER room 2! Get nurse Choi Minho and tell him to prepare the room for a blood transfusion! I only need one nurse for this operation!” The staff worked quickly to follow Jinki’s orders.

Before Jinki could take off, the image of a crying man in a bloodied shirt trailing behind the nurses got his attention. The man was hysterical, and the blood on his shirt, arms, and hands had Jonghyun’s scent all over it. Maybe he could be able to provide some answers he needed. However, there was no time for questioning. He needed to calm the man down before he forced his way down the ER hall.

The crying man came up to him, tearfully choking out, “Please save him. Please! He can’t leave me. Is he going to be ok?”

The tearful plea caught Jinki by surprise. ‘He can’t leave me.’ Who was this man to Jonghyun?

“Could you quickly explain what happened so I can better assess his wound?” Jinki asked, but the man only cried more, not able to give an answer.

With no choice or time, Jinki used his ability of persuasion to calm the man down and get him to quickly explain what happened.”

He sniffed before saying, “I’m a bartender at the bar Jonghyun likes to visit. I was taking the trash out when I found him getting jumped by two guys. One guy stuck this pipe-looking thing into him and they ran when I came. Jonghyun didn’t want the cops involved so I drove him here.”

Didn’t want the cops involved? Jinki pondered. If Jonghyun didn’t want cops, it must’ve been something related to The Order. This was beginning to be a pattern.

Using his abilities again, Jinki persuaded the man to relax and find a nurse to get himself cleaned up.

Not wanting to waste any more time, Jinki made a sprint to his ER room to find everything in place like he asked. The only nurse in the room was Minho, who looked on in confusion at an unconscious Jonghyun.

“Isn’t this your friend,” asked Minho as he wheeled over the blood bags.

Jinki nodded and answered as he set up, “Yes, and apparently he’s ran into some trouble.”

“Yeah I see. His wound’s massive. What should we do? I mean, how do we help him?”

Jinki sighed, “Well, seeing as his wound isn’t healing on its own, he needs blood. He’s unconscious, so we won’t be able to directly feed him blood. We’ll need to give it to him in an IV. That way, it’ll go straight to his blood stream.”

“Are you sure this will work,” asked Minho as he handed Jinki the tube and needle connected to the blood bag.

“I’m hoping. It’ll take more than one bag though. He’ll need at least four dripping into his blood stream for a quick recovery. I also need some extra bags for when he wakes up because he’ll be very hungry.”

“Wait, he’ll be hungry even after giving him so much blood?”

Jinki nodded as he injected the first needle into Jonghyun’s arm with more force than normal. “The blood we’re giving him now is acting as nourishment to help him gain consciousness. It doesn’t feed his hunger, and with him losing so much blood, he’ll need food.”

Minho nodded as he handed Jinki another tube and needle. “Are you worried?”

Jinki gave a slight smile, though it didn’t reach his eyes. He injected the second needle into Jonghyun’s leg before answering. “I’m always worried about Jonghyun.

—

Taemin whined in annoyance as he sat in the living room staring out the window. “What’s taking them so long? Jinki and Minho should’ve been home by now. Are they out doing something fun without me?”

Jongin chuckled in amusement from his spot on the living room floor, flipping through an old book Jinki had laying around. “It’s no big deal. Maybe they’re stuck in traffic.”

Taemin scoffed. “No big deal? The last time they were this late, they came back with another ghost,” he looked pointedly at Jongin. “And that was a very big deal.”

Jongin snickered as he flipped another page. Taemin narrowed his eyes as he watched before saying, “How come you can flip through a book so easily, but it tires me out?”

“It comes with practice, I guess.” Practice. The word that wouldn’t leave Taemin alone. “I’ve been a ghost for a long time though, so don’t feel discouraged.”

Taemin nodded as he looked back out the window. “I’m starting to worry though. I really hope they’re ok.” He looked at Jongin before asking, “Can you go to the hospital for me?”

Jongin looked away from the book in confusion, focusing his attention on Taemin. “Go to the hospital?”

Taemin nodded. “To check on Jinki and Minho. Maybe they’re still there and will be getting off late. I don’t know. I just need to know they’re ok.”

To be honest, Taemin knew he was probably being silly and worrying for nothing, but Jinki and Minho were people he was beginning to cherish now. And even in his former life, he always worried about those he cherished, having a huge fear of losing them. He wouldn’t be able to stop worrying until he knew they were ok.

“But,” said Jongin, “I don’t want to leave you alone.”

Taemin gave a soft smile. “It’s ok, Jongin. I’m a big boy.”

“I know, but I promised to Jinki that I would watch after you. He wouldn’t like the idea of me leaving you alone.”

Taemin rolled his eyes. “I’m not some damsel in distress. I’ll be fine. Besides, it shouldn’t take long, right? Just pop into the hospital, search for Jinki and Minho, and if you find them at least we’ll know where they are. Then you can pop right back in here. Simple as that.”

Jongin looked at Taemin in amazement. He really knew what to say to have his way. “Ok, but-”

“Look, if I could leave the house and do it myself, I would. But I can’t. You’re the only person that can do this for me. Please, Jongin. I really don’t want to have to worry all night.”

“What if I don’t find them at the hospital?”

“Then I’ll just hope that means they’re on their way home.”

Jongin sighed in defeat. Jinki was going to kill him, but he couldn’t say no to Taemin. Not when he looked at him like that — like his life depends on it. “Ok, I’ll do it.”

Taemin piped, “Really?”

“But if I don’t find them within ten minutes of searching the hospital, I’m coming back. I don’t want to leave you alone for too long.”

Taemin groaned, but he guessed he could compromise. He bid Jongin a goodbye before the older spirit disappeared, leaving Taemin alone to a quiet house.

He curled up into himself on the couch as he stared longingly out the living room window. He wished so badly that he could go outside. Even in a time of need and urgency, he wasn’t allowed to leave because of the house. It frustrated him so much.

As the time passed by, his thoughts turned dark as he thought about how pathetic he was for a ghost. He couldn’t even leave to go to the hospital. What would happen if there were an emergency? He would be stuck in the house helplessly.

Soon, the wallpaper in the living room began to rip as the first tear rolled down Taemin’s cheeks.

—

Jinki paced the room as he impatiently waited for Jonghyun to become conscious. Although it’d been a long wait, Jonghyun was showing improvement. Color was coming back to his skin, his bleeding had stopped, and his would was slowly healing. Instead of a large gaping hole, the wound was now smaller — about the size of a quarter.

All that was left now was for Jonghyun to wake up.

“I’m sorry about this,” said Minho, his voice bringing Jinki out of his thoughts.

“Why are you apologizing?”

Minho shrugged as he scratched the back of his neck nervously. “I don’t know. I just know that it bothers you. So, the only thing I can say is sorry. I can’t imagine what it feels like to have to operate on your friend.”

Jinki nodded and gave a smile that wasn’t forced. “Thank you.” He sighed before continuing, “Jonghyun’s always been the troublemaker between the two of us. It’s the same pattern. He gets into a mess and I’m always there to clean it up. But I wouldn’t have it any other way. He’s the closest thing I have to a brother, to family. Even though we fight at times, I still love him and want the best for him.”

Minho nodded. “I completely understand. I can relate. Me and my sister were the same way, minus all the supernatural paranormal stuff,” he ended hoping to get a smile on Jinki’s face. He succeeded.

Before Jinki could respond, he and Minho nearly jumped upon seeing Jongin appear into the room with a relieved look on his face.

“Finally, I found you guys.”

Minho and Jinki looked at each other confused before Jinki asked. “What are you doing here? Where’s Taemin?”

“Well, I came here because Taemin sent me to see what was taking so long.”

Jinki raises his brows in alarm. “You left him alone?”

“Not willingly. I’m sure you know how Taemin gets when he’s determined about something.”

Jinki knew all too well. However, he didn’t want Taemin alone at all. As bubbly as the younger ghost was, he knew how depressing things could get when Taemin got into one of his moods. It worried Jinki immensely, which was one of the reasons he was so happy they found Jongin. Being alone was not a good idea for Taemin at this moment.

“We’re good. Everything is fine. Jonghyun got hurt and we’re taking care of it. You can leave now, and head straight back home.”

Jongin nodded before disappearing.

Minho watched on in amusement as Jinki rubbed his temples in frustration. It was funny to him how fatherly Jinki could be at times, especially when it came to Taemin. The more they spent time together, Minho was starting to see that Jinki was a natural-born leader. He deserved way more credit than he got with the amount of shit he had to deal with.

At that moment, noises from Jonghyun got the attention of both Minho and Jinki. Jonghyun was finally gaining consciousness, slowly opening his eyes as he coughed hysterically.

“Minho, quickly. Get two blood bags for me, please.” Minho made his way to the cart to retrieve the bags and hurried over to hand them to Jinki.

“Jonghyun, can you hear me? Nod if you can.” Jonghyun nodded as he looked up at Jinki so relieved that everything worked out. He tried to speak, but his voice was so hoarse and dry.

“Don’t speak yet,” said Jinki as he handed the first blood bag to Jonghyun. “Here, drink this first.

Jonghyun wasted no time as he punctured the bag with his fangs, quickly gulping down the dark liquid. He usually hated the taste of blood bags, but he was desperate at the moment. Seeing how quickly Jonghyun downed the first bag, Jinki handed Jonghyun the second back to do the same thing.

As he finished the second bag, Jonghyun looked down at his stomach, thankful to see that the wound was completely healed. He looked up at Jinki with a grateful expression. “Thanks, Jinki — you too, Minho,” he said as he gave the werewolf a quick glance.

Minho eyes widened in shock. Did Jonghyun just thank him? Was he hallucinating? Didn’t the vampire hate him? He was too shocked to come up with a coherent response, “Uh, you’re, uh. No problem,” he ended.

“How are you feeling, Jonghyun?” Jinki asked as he handed Jonghyun some wipes for his face and hands.

Jonghyun groaned. “I’m sore. My throat hurts like a bitch. I’m still hungry, but I guess I’m alright at the moment. I’m also extremely thankful for my doctor friend’s help,” he ended with a bashful smile.

Jinki returned his smile, but it soon left his face as he asked, “What the hell happened to you?”

Jonghyun adverted eye contact as he recalled the events that happened just hours before.

“It was Keun-Suk. Well, not him literally. He sent Baekhyun and Chanyeol for me.”

Jinki quirked a brow. “Baekhyun and Chanyeol? Why?”

“To send a message. I’m guessing the message is that Keun-Suk wants me back. I’m thinking they were sent to rough me up, but with Baekhyun being inexperienced, he panicked and nearly killed me. Dumb bitch.”

Minho didn’t know any of these people but cringed at the venom in Jonghyun’s voice. It must’ve been pretty serious, and judging by the look on Jinki’s face, the situation was worse than what he and Jinki previously dealt with in their previous vampire attack.

“So Baekhyun’s still in The Order,” Jinki said more to himself in disappointment.

He hadn’t run into the young vampire much in their large estate, but he did remember talking to him briefly toward the end of Jinki and Jonghyun’s stay there. When the rumors went around about his and Jonghyun’s departure, Baekhyun had privately asked to speak with him. He voiced his concerns about being in The Order, and how he’d only stayed in it because of Chanyeol.

Jinki, being the nice person he was, gave him as much advice as he could. He encouraged Baekhyun to find his voice, and unknown to Jonghyun, even offered to help him escape if he needed it. Unfortunately, Baekhyun never accepted the offer, too scared to leave Chanyeol.

So, it was disappointing, to say the least, for Jinki to hear that Baekhyun was still involved with The Order.

Jonghyun nodded, “Yeah, and so is his boyfriend, or whatever he is to him. Honestly, if Keun-Suk really wanted to send a message, he would’ve sent someone up to my skill level. I could’ve killed both of them easily if I wanted to, but I held back.”

“Well, I’m glad you did. Knowing how cunning Keun-Suk is, he probably wanted you to kill them, so he’d have a reason to come after you.”

“Sorry to interrupt,” said Minho, “but why would they come after you? If you killed them, then it would’ve been because of protection, right?”

Jinki answered, “In normal circumstances, yes. However, Order members are protected under Order Law. They’re very different from other vampire covens and have the highest rank. If anyone attack or killed an Order member, The Order has a right to summon you to trial and either kill you or enslave you. It’s really complicated.”

“And you’re saying this Keun-Suk person purposely sent someone weaker than Jonghyun so he could easily kill them?”

Jinki nodded. “Yeah, it’s a theory. If he killed them, Keun-Suk would have the right to summon Jonghyun to trial. Knowing him, it wouldn’t be a trial. He would probably give Jonghyun an ultimatum to rejoin The Order.”

“No offense, but why are the two of you so special to him that he won’t leave you alone?”

“Well, it’s more Jonghyun that’s the special one. They’re bothering me because I’m attached to him. Also, because I was a doctor for The Order and the humans at the hospital I previously worked at. So, I was a huge supplier of our blood stock. As for Jonghyun....”

Jonghyun piped, “As for me, even I don’t understand what makes me so damn special. I guess it’s because I’m one of the original few he turned. He feels like he raised me and acts like he owns me. It’s sick. I despise everything about him-” he stopped as his throat became dry and again and he coughed endlessly.

“Minho, could you get a few more blood bags. We’ll need some extra ones for home as well. We may run out with the amount we already have.” Minho nodded before leaving the ER room to wheel more blood bags.

Jinki turned his attention back to Jonghyun. He slit his wrist as he said, “Here. I know it won’t do much, but it’ll help subside you.” Jonghyun almost declined but Jinki cut him off saying, “I’m not taking no for an answer.”

Sighing, Jonghyun grabbed Jinki’s arm and sank his teeth into his wrist. No blood would ever be as good as drinking live from a human, but Jonghyun was thankful to Jinki for offering himself. He didn’t drink from him much, only in emergencies, and it did help subside his hunger.

When he was done, he retracted him fangs and wiped his mouth saying, “Thanks.”

While waiting for Minho’s return, Jonghyun asked, “Is Kibum still here?”

“Who?”

“The guy who brought me here. Kibum. I want to thank him.” Without Kibum’s help, Jonghyun didn’t even want to think where he would be right now.

“The bartender?”

Jonghyun nodded. “Yeah, how’d you know?”

“I saw some guy covered in blood and crying. I think he was the one who brought you in. He said he was a bartender and found you in a fight with two guys.”

“Yeah, that’s him.” Hearing that Kibum was so hysterical really bothered Jonghyun. He’s put the young bartender through so much in the past couple of hours. He probably scarred him for life.

“Is it the same bar that you and Taeyeon went to?”

Jonghyun groaned, “Why do you have to bring that up-”

“Jonghyun, why are you still going back there? Back to the place where everything happened? Keun-Suk may have cleared your name, but the case isn’t closed. Do you think it’s wise to keep going back there?”

Jonghyun knew Jinki was right. It wasn’t smart to keep going to the bar, especially since that’s the last place Taeyeon was seen. However, he couldn’t help it. He was just drawn to it, out of guilt maybe. But also, he couldn’t lie and say he didn’t look forward to seeing Kibum too.

“And who is that guy to you?” Asked Jinki.

“What do you mean?”

“I mean, for him to say to me ‘He can’t leave’ you must mean something to him.”

He really said that, thought Jonghyun. It came as a surprise to him. Yes, he and Kibum had established that they were friends, but he didn’t think he was that important for him to say that. Then again, he did leave his job and drive him to the hospital covered in blood.

But of course, he didn’t want Jinki to know too much about their friendship. After what happened with Taeyeon, Jinki was on edge whenever it came to Jonghyun and humans, and for good reason. So Jonghyun had to downplay the situation.

He answered, “He’s no one special. Just someone I met recently. Since I go to the bar a lot and he works there, I see him often. That’s all.” Well, it wasn’t a complete lie.

Jinki narrowed his eyes, not believing anything Jonghyun was saying. Jonghyun whined, “Jinki, I don’t have the energy to argue, ok? I just want to see him and thank him for bringing me here. If it weren’t for him, I would probably be dead by now.”

At that, Jinki sighed in defeat. “Ok, but I’ll be standing right outside the door. I can’t risk anything.”

“Ok, that’s fine.”

“We gotta get you to look the part though. You can’t just walk out of here. That wouldn’t seem realistic with the type of wound you came in with. You need to change into a hospital gown, and I’ll wheel you to a room. And remember, when you talk to him, you have to sound weak and tired, not full of energy. He would be very confused.”

Jonghyun nodded at everything Jinki was saying, just happy that he agreed to let him see his friend.

Minho came back in with blood bags as Jinki was detaching the four needles from Jonghyun’s body. Jinki grabbed one bag and handed it over to Jonghyun.

“Here, one more should last you. Minho, could you hand me a hospital gown and wheel over a new stretcher bed. We’re taking him to a patient room. I also need to new IV drip.” They really had to make it look like he’d just come out of surgery to avoid questions.

Minho came back with the gown and stretcher. Jonghyun quickly changed and handed his clothes to Minho for him to put in a bag. Jinki helped Jonghyun get on the stretcher, setting up the IV drip and taping it to Jonghyun’s arm with medical wrap, pretending that the needle was actually in his arm.

After making sure everything looked believable, they finally wheeled Jonghyun out to a new room. The nurses passing by looked relieved the see the patient in stable condition.

They finally got to the room and set Jonghyun against the wall in the middle of the room.

Jinki spoke, “Jonghyun, you’ll need to at least stay overnight and get discharged in the morning. I will come get you in the morning, ok?”

Jinki turned to Minho saying, “Let the front desk know that patient Kim Jonghyun is ready for visitors. I’ll meet you in the locker rooms.” Minho nodded before leaving.

Jinki continued. “I know I said I’d stay after to guard you talking to your friend, but it’s getting pretty late, and even though Minho doesn’t want to admit it, he’s tired. I can tell he’s trying his best to stay up at this point.”

Jonghyun chuckled. “Yeah, even though he’s a werewolf, he’s still human I guess. Gotta get his rest.”

“And so should you. We’re vampires and don’t have to sleep, but sometimes sleep does some good. You could use it after a day like this.”

Jonghyun nodded, “Yeah, you’re right.” He wasn’t sure if he’d actually sleep, but he did appreciate Jinki’s concern.

There was a knock at the door before it open to reveal a puffy-eyed, red-nosed Kibum. Jonghyun’s smile dropped at the sight indicating Kibum had been crying. He probably cried the whole time.

Jinki, like the true pro he is, turned on his best ‘Dr. voice’ and gave Kibum a gentle smile before saying, “Ah, nice to see you again. Thank you so much for bringing in Jonghyun. His wound was pretty serious, but because of how soon you got him to us, he shall make a speedy recovery.”

Kibum smiled, “Really?” His flashback of Jonghyun’s wound made him unsure of the statement.

Jinki chuckled warmly. “Yes, really. You probably didn’t know this, but Jonghyun here is a good friend of mine. He really means a lot to me, so I’m very grateful that you were able to get him here.” And Jinki really meant it. If anything were to happen to Jonghyun, something irreversible, Jinki would lose it.

“Um,” said Kibum, not knowing what to say. “No problem.”

“Well, I’ll leave you two alone. I’ve got to get home since it’s getting late. Jonghyun, remember. I’ll pick you up in the morning.”

“Yeah, yeah, bye,” said Jonghyun as he shooed the elder vampire away.

Once he was finally gone, the silence engulfed both Kibum and Jonghyun, neither knowing what to say.

Kibum pulled up a chair and sat next to Jonghyun as he mused, “He’s picking you up tomorrow?”

“Ahh, yes. He’s my roommate. Well, one of my roommates.”

Kibum raised a brow. “Your roommate’s a doctor? Wow, that’s interesting.”

Jonghyun nodded and it was quiet again. Kibum was extremely grateful that Jonghyun seemed to be ok. The doctor said he’d make a speedy recovery, and he’d even get discharged in the morning. However, something about the whole situation bothered him. Just what exactly was that back there?

“Are you on the run or something? Or like in a gang?” Kibum asked the question that caught Jonghyun completely off guard.

“Huh?”

“I mean, you were pretty adamant about not getting the cops involved. Jonghyun, you were punctured with a metal pipe for Christ sake, and you didn’t want to get the police involved. Those guys that did this to you should be arrested. People like that shouldn’t be out in the streets. Who were those guys, Jonghyun?”

Kibum’s questions came like rapid fire, and Jonghyun was not prepared to answer them. How was he supposed to tell him that he didn’t want the cops involved because some were connected to a secret vampire society that lived to make his life a living hell?

He also couldn’t explain that Baekhyun and Chanyeol were vampires sent by the guy trying to make his life a living hell.

“Kibum, it’s nothing-”

“Don’t lie to me,” Kibum’s quivering voice caught Jonghyun by surprise. He had no idea why the human was getting emotional.

“Kibum-”

“I saw you laying there screaming in pain, covered in blood. I saw you rip out a fucking pipe from your stomach. You lost so much damn blood and you yelled at me not to get the cops involved. I saw you pass out in my car on the way to the hospital. So please, Jonghyun. Don’t tell me this is nothing.” Tears began to fall relentlessly down Kibum’s face. “Fuck,” he said to himself in frustration as he tilted his head back, hating being emotional.

Jonghyun was not expecting so much emotion from Kibum. It kept hitting him like a wave washing over him. The stress of the situation finally hit Kibum like a ton of bricks. He’d tried his best to keep himself together, but having Jonghyun act like the situation wasn’t the scariest moment in his life really threw Kibum in for a loop.

“I’m sorry,” said Jonghyun. “I’m so sorry, Kibum. I’m sorry you had to be put through this. I really owe my life to you. Thank you so much for saving me.”

Kibum put his head down and stared at his lap as he sniffed, trying to get his emotions together. It was embarrassing for him to lose himself like that. It’s not like he and Jonghyun had been friends long. However, seeing anyone on the brink of death really put things into perspective.

Seeing that he didn’t get a response, Jonghyun reached out, groaning as he moved from soreness, to grab one of Kibum’s hands. Kibum lifted his head to look at both of their hands together.

Jonghyun noted how warm his hand felt, and how sweet Kibum’s blood scent smelled in the room. He silently thanked Jinki for feeding him because he didn’t know how long he would’ve been able to last in a room alone with Kibum’s loud smell. It was so inviting, but thankfully, his urges were under control for the moment.

He reiterated as Kibum finally looked him in the eyes. “Thank you. I really appreciate you and what you did for me. I’ll spend forever trying to repay you.”

Kibum have a fragile smile, warmed that Jonghyun appreciated what he did for him. “You’re welcome. But... what the hell was that, Jonghyun? What happened?”

Jonghyun sighed. “I guess I do owe you the truth, especially after everything you went through today.” Or at least his version of the truth. “I used to be involved with some really bad people. I recently left them, and those guys are still trying to ruin my life. Revenge I suppose. So those two guys you saw were sent to rough me up.”

Kibum used his other hand to cover his mouth in shock. “Omg, Jonghyun. You’ve got to tell someone able this. The cops-”

“Won’t do anything. That was another reason why I didn’t want you to call. They have connections, that’s all I’ll say.”

“But-”

“Kibum,” Jonghyun have a reassuring smile, “It’s ok. I’m ok. You saved me, that’s all that matters.”

Kibum dropped his head again as silent tears came again. He whispered, “I can’t help, but to worry about you. You’re my only friend. I don’t want you to leave me.”

Jonghyun’s brows scrunched in worry. “I’ll never leave you-”

“Don’t you ever do this again,” Kibum snapped with a tear-stained face looking up at Jonghyun. “You’re not allowed to ever do this again, ok?”

Jonghyun nodded, “Ok. I’ll never do this again. And I’ll never leave you. Best friends forever, right?” He said with a cute expression to cheer Kibum up.

Kibum smiled some before nodding. “Yes, BFFs. But seriously, Jonghyun. That was scary. I never want to be put through that again. If you’re in trouble with people, let me help you. Don’t go through this alone, ok?”

Jonghyun nodded before he saw Kibum standing up and detach their hands. “Where are you going?”

“Nowhere,” said Kibum as he went to retrieve a blanket. “I’m sleeping over.”

“You can’t be serious. It’s getting late. You should be heading home.”

Kibum scoffed as he came back to sit in the chair with his blanket wrapped around him. “I’m not leaving you here alone. Your doctor friend said he’ll get you in the morning, so it’s only one night.”

“Kibum, I’ll be fine. You should really get home. Your dad-”

“I don’t care about my dad right now. I care about my friend getting better, and I’m not going to leave you alone.”

Jonghyun was flattered, but he did worry about the younger’s family. From what he gathered, they’re a lot to deal with.

“There’s not even a place for you to sleep.”

“I’ll sleep in this chair. No problem.”

Jonghyun looked at Kibum like he’d gone insane. “That chair doesn’t look too comfortable. Your back will definitely be hurting in the morning.”

“Nothing you say will change my mind, Jonghyun.” So, Kibum was a little stubborn, Jonghyun was getting to see. But it only intrigued him.

“Well, you could at least sleep up here. There’s room,” he said as he gestured to the space left on the bed he was laying on.

Kibum froze as he said, “But there’s not much room.”

“There is, see?” Jonghyun scooted over closer to the edge of the bed to make room. Even with the extra room, they would still be cramped up together on the bed.

Kibum gulped at the thought. “But I’ll hurt you.”

“Not if you lay on my right side. The injury is on the left.”

To be honest, as selfish as Jonghyun wanted to be to use this as an excuse to get closer to the attractive bartender, he really was worried about Kibum. The only other place in the room to sleep in was the chair the younger was sitting in. It wasn’t that big and looked like it was a sore back waiting to happen.

Although the bed wasn’t that big, it was a better option than the chair. And if Kibum insisted on sleeping over, Jonghyun was not going to allow him to sleep in the chair. He could be stubborn too if he had to.

Kibum eventually agreed, tired of putting up a fight. He really didn’t want to hurt Jonghyun anymore than he already was. However, he could see from Jonghyun’s point of view how he wouldn’t want Kibum sleeping in the chair all night.

Kibum carefully made his way onto the bed, being extra careful not to hit any of the wires connected to the machines. Jonghyun shifted so Kibum could have the majority of the pillow.

As soon as Kibum settled next to him, Jonghyun got a strong whiff of Kibum’s sweet scent, so strong it made his eyes roll. He let out a low groan to get himself together.

“Did I hurt you,” Kibum whispered, mistaking the groan for pain.

Jonghyun whispered, “No, you’re fine. Are you comfortable?”

Kibum nodded. He was a bit awkward, not knowing what to do with his hands, so he folded them into himself. Jonghyun was in the same predicament, putting both of his hands behind his head. Then he became self-conscious about having his armpits near Kibum’s face, so he settled with folding his hands on top of his chest.

It was quiet for a while before Kibum spoke. “I’m sorry for crying so much. I can be a bit dramatic at times.”

Jonghyun chuckled. “It’s ok. Don’t apologize. Emotion is good.” Sometimes he wished he was a little more emotional than he was.

“It’s embarrassing,” Kibum whined cutely into the pillow.

“It’s admirable,” said Jonghyun as he stared at the ceiling lost in thought.

“Admirable?” Asked Kibum as he looked up to see Jonghyun. Jonghyun turned to lock eyes with him, noting how close they were.

Blood rush to Kibum’s face in embarrassment as he blushed, sending a wave of the sweet scent directly to Jonghyun’s nose. He shifted his legs uncomfortable as he noticed a slight problem growing between his legs.

The last time this happened was with Taeyeon, and before that, was when he was with The Order in the blood dens. It was hard to explain, but the smell of blood could easily confuse hunger with arousal. He never had a problem with it before because whenever this happened, he was usually in the situation where he was getting his arousal ‘taken care of.’

However, at the moment, he and Kibum weren’t expected to take care of anything. They were just lying in the bed next to each other. Completely innocent, right?

Before Jonghyun could contemplate over it any longer, Kibum said, “I’m getting sleepy,” as he snuggled more into Jonghyun’s side.

Jonghyun closed his eyes and breathed deeply as he tried desperately not to think of the problem between his legs. It was kind of hard not to with Kibum snuggling his scent into him.

“You should go to sleep, Kibum. Today was a lot.”

“But I don’t want you up alone,” he ended in a yawn.

“It’s ok. I’m sleepy too. So, I won’t be too long behind you.” He really wasn’t sleepy, but he didn’t want Kibum staying up all night waiting for him to sleep, which probably wouldn’t happen.

“Are you sure,” Kibum asked as his breathing already evened out into a slow steady breath of slumber.

“I’m sure, Kibum. Goodnight.”

“Goodnight, Jonghyun.”

And like that, Kibum was out. Jonghyun was left to his thoughts and his still growing problem between his legs.

—

After getting booted from the hospital, Jongin quickly popped back into the house, eager to share the news with Taemin. For a new ghost, Taemin sure did worry a lot and Jongin wanted to change that.

Upon reaching the living room, Jongin found Taemin in a distressed state. There he was crying on the couch folded into his knees as the wallpaper ripped and the lights flickered. What happened?

“Taemin?” He called out his name but didn’t get a response as Taemin continued to weep.

Jongin walked over to the couch and sat on it. Against his better judgement, he slowly wrapped his arms around Taemin before bringing him into a tight warm hug. Taemin jumped in surprise, but immediately melted into Jongin’s arms upon realizing who it was.

He could never get used to the feeling of skinship in the afterlife, but it was something he welcomed.

“I saw Jinki and Minho. Everything is fine. Jonghyun got hurt and they’re helping him out. Everything is ok.”

Taemin sniffed before rubbing his eyes. “That’s good. I hope Jonghyun is ok.”

“Was that why you were crying?” Taemin shook his head no. “Then why?”

Taemin whispered, “Just forget it. It’s stupid.” He made an attempt to move out of Jongin’s arms, but Jongin held him in place.

“It’s not stupid if you’re crying. What’s wrong?”

Taemin became worked up again as he explained, “I just feel so pathetic and useless. I can’t even leave the house to help my friends. I’m still stuck in this house because I’m too stupid to understand what happened with my death. I’m just over it, Jongin.” He broke down again into his knees, wanting to disappear forever.

Seeing Taemin like this made Jongin understand more why Jinki didn’t want the younger ghost alone. Taemin’s so full of energy and life, but as soon as he’s left alone, his thoughts seem to turn dark and it really affected him.

“You’re not pathetic, Taemin. You’re definitely not useless. Just because it’s taking you a little longer than you want to figure out things, that doesn’t mean anything is wrong with you. Look, there’s no rule book to the afterlife. Everyone’s journey is different. But that’s why I’m here. To help you through your journey. I’m going to make you a promise. I promise to never leave you alone, and that we’ll get through this together. Everything is going to be alright. Ok?”

Taemin nodded into his knees as he sniffed. “Why are you so nice?”

“I don’t know.”

He really didn’t know why. If anyone had met Jongin in his previous life, him and the word nice would not even be associated in the same sentence. He was never like this in his former life, especially with other males — him being raised in a homophobic environment. Any ounce of sympathy shown towards another male would have you with a target on our back.

The only person he was like this with was his baby niece, and that’s only because she was tiny and adorable. But what about Taemin? What made him so special? He wasn’t tiny, but was it because he was also adorable?

He didn’t know. A part of him didn’t care to find out. He just knew that whenever the younger cried or doubted himself, he wanted to make him feel better.

And that’s what he would do. He’ll continue to be there to Taemin whenever he’s needed.


	9. Attached.

As promised, Jinki arrived at the hospital bright and early to get Jonghyun discharged. Minho insisted on tagging along, but Jinki declined, telling the wolf to get as much rest as he could. The day was going to be long and grueling due to the fact that it was the day that Minho was going to learn about wolf meditation. 

It was a tiring process, so Jinki wanted Minho to conserve as much energy as he could before their venture into the wilderness. 

After receiving the correct documentation from the nurses, Jinki made his way to room 104 in slight anticipation. Although he knew Jonghyun was safe, he’d stayed up most of the night worrying about the younger vampire. As he neared the room, he also picked up more than just Jonghyun’s scent, causing him to groan as he hoped the situation wasn’t what imagined it to be. 

He opened the door to find Jonghyun in bed with Kibum, the bartender. He sighed to himself in frustration at how careless Jonghyun was being with having a human stay with him all night, especially with the condition that he was in. 

However, he also let out a sigh of relief seeing that Jonghyun was actually in a slumber for once. Although vampires didn’t rely on sleep, Jinki knew Jonghyun needed some form of rest after the trauma he’d just experienced. 

Also, he couldn’t help feeling impressed at the fact that Jonghyun actually was able to hold himself together all night with how strong Kibum’s scent was. Jinki knew it was mostly due to him making sure Jonghyun was sufficiently fed before leaving him alone, but it was still impressive. 

As much as he wanted to wake up his friend and leave, he couldn’t help but examine the situation in front of him first. He wasn’t sure how they fell asleep, but Kibum was now laying on the side of Jonghyun’s chest with one of Jonghyun’s arms wrapped around the bartender’s slim waist. 

Just who is he to you, thought Jinki. 

He wasn’t one for snooping, but with Jonghyun being in so much trouble lately, Jinki was at the point where he had no choice but to be more involved in Jonghyun’s life. He didn’t want Jonghyun making the same mistake he made the last time he got close to a human. And with Jonghyun being so stubborn and easily attached to things that interested him, Jinki knew that his warnings about any human interaction would fall on deaf ears when it came to Jonghyun. So he decided he’d make this his business. Even if it pissed Jonghyun off, at least Kibum could have a chance of not being affected by their lifestyle. 

Done assessing the situation, Jinki flipped on the light switch and cleared his throat. Jonghyun woke up while scrunching his eyes at the bright lights. Kibum, surprisingly, stayed asleep. 

“Hey, Jinki,” said Jonghyun as he attempted to stretch but was limited in movement due to Kibum laying on his chest. 

Wait. 

He looked down at Kibum with wide eyes. When did he move there, he thought. Not that he minded, but seeing the look on Jinki’s face made him realize that the situation looked like something it was not. 

“Good morning, Jonghyun,” said Jinki as he teased, “Looks like you had a good night.”

Jonghyun quickly answered, “It’s not what it looks like.”

“And what exactly does it look like,” Jinki challenged. 

Jonghyun sighed as he looked up at the ceiling, subconsciously rubbing up and down Kibum’s arm. That probably wasn’t a good idea because he got a good whiff of Kibum again, the smell feeling like a drug at this point. 

“Jonghyun,” said Jinki as he pulled Jonghyun from his thoughts. “You know what I’m going to say-”

“Yeah, not here, Jinki,” he said as he gestured down to Kibum, unaware of when he’d fully wake up. 

Jinki nodded before asking, “Are you ready?”

“Yeah, just give us a moment.” Jinki gave him a look like ‘are you kidding me.’ Jonghyun cringed, “Or you could just stay there.”

He turned his attention to Kibum who was still breathing deeply in slumber. He almost didn’t want to wake up the younger seeing how peaceful and stress-free he looked while sleeping. However, he could feel Jinki’s questioning stare from a mile away, so it was best to just get it over with. 

“Kibum,” he whispered as he gently shook his shoulder. He didn’t get a response, so he shook a little harder. “It’s time to wake up.”

Kibum slowly started to come to as he whined from being woken up. Jonghyun smiled to himself. Obviously, Kibum wasn’t a morning person. 

Kibum slowly opened his eyes before wiping his mouth, face going red from embarrassment at the tiny drool out the corner of his mouth. “What time is it,” he said groggily as he stretched. 

“About 8am.”

“Shit,” says Kibum as he let out a yawn, fighting off the sleep that was trying to come back. “I have to work at 10.”

“Well, I guess it’s really time for you to get up then, hm?”

Kibum smiled to himself as he snuggled more into Jonghyun’s chest. 

Wait. He was on Jonghyun’s chest. The realization hit him and he wondered when in the night did that happen. While wondering, he also noted how firm and comfortable it was, so he wasn’t complaining. However, he was a little embarrassed. Did Jonghyun mind? It didn’t seem like it. 

Kibum slowly lifted himself up, jumping upon seeing Jinki sitting in the chair in the corner of the room with a magazine in his hand. Jonghyun heard Kibum’s heart skip a beat, quickly reaching out to grab his hand to calm him down. 

“Oh, don’t mind me,” said Jinki as he continued to flip through the magazine. 

And Kibum was officially embarrassed. How long had he been sitting there?

“Dr. Lee-”

Jinki gave a bright smile, “Please, just call me Jinki.”

Kibum nodded as he wiped his eyes, trying to look somewhat presentable. “You look different without your doctor clothes.”

Jinki nodded. “I tend to prefer jeans instead of scrubs. Thanks for looking after Jonghyun.”

Kibum scurried off the bed as he answered awkwardly, “Yeah, it was no problem.”

Jinki walked over to Jonghyun to help him get unhook from the machines, still playing up the situation to look more believable to Kibum. Much to their relief, Kibum wasn’t paying attention to them as he fumbled to tie his shoes. 

Jinki gave Jonghyun a knowing look as he helped him off the bed. A look that said, ‘we have a lot to talk about in the car.’ Oh, how Jonghyun dreaded the car ride home. He felt like a child getting ready to be scolded. 

“Dammit,” Kibum’s outburst got the attention of the two vampires. 

“What’s wrong,” asked Jonghyun. 

Kibum tsked. “It’s my dad. Worrying as usual. Guess I should head there now.” He threw his phone in his pocket as he turned to Jonghyun and Jinki. 

He addressed Jinki first. “Thank you so much for all you’ve done to help him. I know you’re a doctor and you deal with this all the time, but I’m really thankful, Jinki.”

Jinki couldn’t help but smile and nod. The human was sweet, he couldn’t deny. 

Kibum then turned to Jonghyun. “I would hug you, but I don’t want to hurt you.”

Jonghyun reached out and gave Kibum a side hug, being careful not to let Kibum touch the part of him that he thought wasn’t healed yet. The hug lasted a bit longer than it should’ve, Jonghyun taking in Kibum’s sweet smell one last time before they departed. 

After their hug, Kibum said, “Oh, I almost forgot to ask. What’s your address?”

Jinki and Jonghyun both froze up as they gave each other a look. Jonghyun asked, “Why?”

Sensing their hesitation, Kibum scrambled as he answered, “O-oh, it’s nothing. I just... I know with your injury, you may not be able to go out much. So I wanted to come over and keep you company. Maybe bring over a ‘get well soon’ care package or something. Also, I think it’ll be nice to hang out in a house for once instead of a bar, don’t you think,” he ended in a chuckle. 

His chuckle died out upon seeing that he didn’t get a response from Jonghyun nor Jinki. “Unless it’s not ok. I’m sorry to just invite myself over. How rude of me.” He coughed awkwardly. 

Jonghyun saved him by answering, “It’s ok. I’ll text it to you.” Jinki’s eyes were basically burning a hole into the side of Jonghyun’s face. 

Kibum’s eyes lit up in surprise. “Really?”

“Yeah. It’s no problem, right Jinki?” Jonghyun looked at the elder with pleading eyes. 

Jinki put on a forced smile, not obvious to Kibum, but very obvious to Jonghyun. “Of course. We’d love to have some new friends over.”

Kibum smiled, “Great!” Then his phone buzzed. He took it out and rolled his eyes as he looked at the screen. “Ok, I really have to go now. See you guys later.” He gave a wave that was returned by the two men before he left. 

With Kibum out of sight, Jinki turned to Jonghyun slowly with a questioning look on his face. 

Jonghyun cringed as he went to grab the bag of clothes Jinki brought for him. “Not now, Jinki,” he rushed out before heading to the bathroom to change. 

Jinki stood there not knowing what to make of the situation. However, Jonghyun was right. It wasn’t a good idea to talk about sensitive matters in the hospital, never knowing who’s listening. But Jonghyun was in for an earful when they got into the car. 

The two men sat in silence in Jinki’s car for a few seconds, Jinki making no move to cut on the vehicle. He had so many questions and didn’t know where to start. Jonghyun, on the other hand, was hoping the elder vampire would remain quiet, saving him from a lecturing he knew was coming. 

Jinki let out a sigh before saying, “Sooo, Kibum-”

“He’s cute, right?” Said Jonghyun before he could even realize the words that came out of his mouth. “I mean..... he’s nice.”

Jinki furrowed his brows. “Yeah, nice.” It was silent again before Jinki decided to say what was really on his mind about Jonghyun’s new friend. “Jonghyun, what the hell are you thinking?”

“What do you mean?”

“You know exactly what I mean. You and Kibum-”

“Aww, are you jealous?” Jonghyun meant it as a joke, but Jinki’s glare was very telling of how serious he was. “I just came from the hospital, Jinki. Don’t you think we can save the lecture for another day?”

Jinki grimaced as he finally started up the car and pulled out the parking lot. Jonghyun took that as a victory until Jinki continued to speak. 

“Jonghyun, I’m just worried.”

“You don’t have to worry for me.”

“Not just for you, but him as well. Do you think it’s wise to have a human around you all the time?”

Jonghyun sighed, “I’m not going to hurt him. I could never do that.”

As much as Jinki wanted to believe his friend, Jonghyun had quite the track record. “How am I supposed to believe that?”

Jonghyun shrugged not really knowing how to answer. “You just have to trust me. Don’t you trust me?”

There was a silence that went on too long in Jonghyun’s opinion. He knew that he messed up in the past, but losing Jinki’s trust was never something he wanted. 

Jinki finally answered, “I want to trust you, Jonghyun. I do. It’s just... when it comes to something as fragile as this, I don’t know. The thing with Taeyeon-”

“Jinki,” said Jonghyun in exasperation. Taeyeon was a sore spot that Jonghyun was trying to avoid. 

“I know you want to forget about it. Trust me, so do I. However, it’s something we must take into consideration. You’d only known her, what, a day or so? And you saw what happened. What makes Kibum so different?”

Jonghyun had to think before answering. What did make Kibum so different? Was it because he’d known Kibum longer than he’d known Taeyeon? Was it because he was drawn to the human’s personality? Was it because he enjoyed his company? 

Jonghyun couldn’t give a straight answer. 

Jinki continued. “And giving him the address to our house. What were you thinking?”

Jonghyun scoffed. “Well if you can invite the whole neighborhood to live with us, why can’t I?”

“In case you’ve forgotten, your friend is a human.”

“And so is Minho.”

“Minho is also a werewolf-”

“Only one time out the month-”

“But it’s still in his DNA. And Jongin and Taemin are ghosts. So, if you’re telling me Kibum is a part of the supernatural world, then I may think differently.”

Jonghyun scrunched his face in disbelief. “It’s not a big deal.”

“It is a big deal. Do you even hear yourself? Do you really think it’s wise to let a human come over whenever he wants?”

“I’m sure he’ll let me know whenever he’s coming over so we can be prepared, Jinki. Plus, it’s not like we’ll ever be alone with Taemin and Jongin lurking around. Everything will be fine. Ok?”

“Jonghyun,” said Jinki as they approached a stop light. “I’m just looking out for you. I’m trying to stop you before that attachment begins-”

“It won’t.”

Attachment. 

Such a simple word to humans, but to vampires, it meant way more than one would think. Attachment was what usually resulted when a vampire was around a particular human so much that the scent of their blood was all that mattered. It was all a vampire would think about, or care about. No matter what happened, the vampire would always need to be around that scent, almost becoming dependent on it to function. It becomes nearly impossible for a vampire to separate or detach themselves from being around the human. 

It was a rare problem that occurred, or at least it was rare in The Order, mostly due to the fact that there were tons of humans in their blood dens to choose from. There was no need to get attached to one. 

However, as Jinki feared for Jonghyun, it’s quite easy for a vampire such as him to unknowingly grow attached. Jinki probably wouldn’t mind the situation if it were another vampire with good control over their urges. 

However, it’s Jonghyun. 

He so desperately wanted to believe that his best friend was capable of holding himself together around any human for extended periods of time, but as history had proven, it was not that easy for him. Jinki wasn’t just worried for Jonghyun, but Kibum as well — the mysterious human that for some reason has caught Jonghyun’s attention. 

Jinki asked, “Kibum mentioned you visiting the bar where he works. How often are you around him?”

“Not that often-”

“Don’t lie to me,” Jinki answered sternly. He was being serious, and it irked him how unbothered Jonghyun seemed to be about the situation. 

Jonghyun sighed. “I visit the bar a couple of days out the week, but I’m not always around him. Honest. I usually just sit at the bar top alone. I only talk to him when he’s not busy with other customers.”

Jinki nodded. “Ok, I get that. However, what I don’t understand is why you keep going back there. As I’ve clearly stated before, being at the place of a young woman’s disappearance where you were the last one seen with her, that’s not smart.”

“I know.”

“But yet, you still do it. You still go there knowing the risk. The Order may have helped you clear your name once. It doesn’t mean they’ll do it again.”

Jonghyun stares out the window silently as they neared their home. He knew Jinki was right. Didn’t make it any easier to accept what Jinki was suggesting, which was to stop seeing Kibum. 

“Jonghyun” Jinki said getting Jonghyun’s attention. “I need you to promise me that you’re not going to go back to that bar.”

That seemed to snap Jonghyun out of his thoughts. He fully turned to Jinki before saying, “What?”

“If you want to keep not only yourself safe, but Kibum safe as well, you’d stay far away from that place. You saw what happened to you. Just imagine if they’d come after Kibum next. Your best bet is to just stay away for there, ok,” Jinki ended on a gentle note. 

He really felt bad for Jonghyun. Besides himself, Jonghyun didn’t really have any friends. His only friends were those he’d made while in The Order. So Jinki could understand why Jonghyun was so involved with Kibum. He was good company. However, Jinki couldn’t risk another Taeyeon situation. 

“I’m sorry,” said Jonghyun as Jinki parked I’m front of their house. “But I can’t promise you that.” Before Jinki could argue, Jonghyun rushed out the car and into the house. 

Jinki sighed in frustration as he watched Jonghyun make his way into the house. It’s not like he wanted to upset the younger man. He valued Jonghyun’s happiness more than anything. However, out of the two of them, someone had to be the rational one, and Jinki didn’t mind being the bad guy if it meant that Jonghyun was safe and stayed out of trouble. 

Meanwhile, in the house, Jonghyun made his way towards his bedroom upstairs. However, on the way, he caught a glimpse of Taemin coming out of the kitchen. He quickly said, “Morning, Taemin,” before continuing up the stairs and into his bedroom. 

Taemin stood frozen in his position as Jongin walked up behind him. “What’s wrong,” asked Jongin. 

Taemin looked at Jongin with his brows scrunched. “Am I going crazy, or did Jonghyun just say good morning to me?” 

Jongin chuckled, “I think he did.”

Taemin wondered what caused Jonghyun to not give his usual cold remark. Was he in a different universe?

Jongin shook him out of his thoughts as he laughed and patted Taemin’s shoulder. “Come on, don’t think too much about it. Maybe he’s just being nice.” 

The words ‘nice’ and ‘Kim Jonghyun’ didn’t go seem to fit the same sentence to Taemin. However, he guessed he could put up with the nice guy act for now. 

__

It was about 8:55 am when Kibum arrived home. He knew he would have to rush getting ready in order to make it to work on time. He’d already left abruptly yesterday, so he knew his boss would want a proper explanation. He didn’t want to make things worse by being late in the morning. 

As soon as he parked his car, he ran to the front door of the house. Thankfully, the door was already unlocked, so he didn’t have to fumbled with his keys to open the door. 

He rushed upstairs, but was stopped mid-step by the sound of his dad’s voice. Kibum sighed because now was not the time for a lecture. 

He turned around to see his dad standing at the bottom of the stairs him his arms crossed, wearing a not-so-nice look on his face. 

“Kibum, would you like to explain to me why you’re coming in the house at such a time? Your mother and I were worried about you all night and you have the nerve to go to your room without even an explanation?”

“Sorry, Dad. I had to help a friend out-”

His dad sneered. “Help out a friend, huh? What friend? What was so important that you had to be out all night?”

Kibum groaned to himself, not really having the time to deal with this at the moment. “Dad, I’ll explain later. I need to get ready for work,” he said as he continued up the stairs. However, his dad’s authoritative voice stopped him again. 

“Hey! You will not walk away from me while I’m speaking to you! Do you understand me?! Now answer my question. Where were you last night?”

Kibum tolled his eyes before answering. “My friend got into a fight and needed a ride to the hospital. I stayed there with him until the doctors released him. That’s all. Now can I please-”

“A fight? What type of people have you gotten yourself involved with Kibum? See, this wouldn’t have happened if you’d have just stayed friends with the wholesome kids from the church. They would never be involved in such antics.”

Kibum wanted to laugh. Truly. If only his dad knew half the things those “wholesome” church kids were doing behind closed doors. 

No longer able to listen to his dad, and being rushed for time, Kibum continued upstairs as he ignored his dad’s yelling. He slammed his bedroom door shut before rushing to the bathroom for a quick shower. 

While rushing was a priority, his mind couldn’t help but drift to what happened last night. Who were those men? Why was Jonghyun in trouble, really? 

That was the most scared Kibum had been in a long time. There was so much blood. Too much blood. He was surprised that Jonghyun was able to recover so quickly. He was so appreciative towards Dr. Lee, and so thankful that he was able to get Jonghyun to the hospital so quickly. 

Not only were thoughts of Jonghyun’s injury clouding his mind. But just Jonghyun in general — more importantly, how close they were in that hospital room. The fact that he became so emotional towards the man still made him embarrassed, but he couldn’t help it. If anything, the situation confirmed something that Kibum was trying to deny. 

He was starting to like Jonghyun, maybe more than just a friend. It’s no secret that he found the man attractive and enjoyed their time together, but he also couldn’t ignore the way his heart would flutter when Jonghyun glanced at him a certain way. Or even when just hearing Jonghyun’s soothing voice greeting him at work. He’d never been so invested in a person, especially after dealing with his ex. 

So what was stopping Kibum from pursuing the idea of being with Jonghyun? He was insecure. Would Jonghyun even return the same feelings? Was he even gay, or at least bi? He couldn’t be 100% sure. He also didn’t want to ruin the only friendship he has so far just because he has a crush on him. He’d rather be friend zoned than be alone. Besides, Kibum felt like he and Jonghyun still needed time to get to know each other as friends. 

What was his favorite color? What was his favorite food? Did he have any pets? Did he even like pets? Kibum had no clue. So for now, he was content with keeping things friendly between them — or so he told himself. 

Shaking off his thoughts, Kibum turn off the shower and rushed to get dressed. He checked the time and was relieved to see that he wasn’t too far behind before running out his room door and down the stairs. He shouted that he was off to work, quickly making his way to his car to not deal with his dad. 

—

It was a silent car ride for Minho and Jinki as they drove to the outskirts of town towards the very forest that Minho used to call home. 

It was finally the day for Minho to learn about wolf meditation — something that Jinki insisted would help Minho learn how to gain control of his wolf. How would simple meditation do that? Minho had no idea, but he was desperate. He’d try anything as long as it meant he could be a step closer to living a normal life. He also trusted Jinki, so he willingly followed his lead. 

One thing he didn’t like was how silent their drive was. 

Minho was a very talkative person, and quite frankly, the ride was a bit awkward. Jinki didn’t even have the radio on. Just what was he thinking? 

As much as Minho wanted to ask the question, just one glance towards Jinki told him that the older vampire was in deep thought. Something was troubling him and Minho wasn’t sure if it would be wise of him to break the man’s train of thought. As for what he was thinking, Minho had no idea. Was it because of him?

Meanwhile, as Minho pondered, Jinki was in the driver’s seat brewing over his interaction with Jonghyun earlier. How hard was it just for Jonghyun to listen to him, thought Jinki. After years of being vampires, he’d thought Jonghyun would know how fragile humans are by now. 

Jinki was also feeling guilty over the fact that he hadn’t done much in terms of helping out Minho. He’d been so busy with dealing with Jonghyun, Taemin, The Order, and work that he’d barely had time to focus on Minho. However, he’d promised the wolf that he’d get him accustomed to being a wolf, and that’s a promise Jinki intended to keep. 

So that’s why even though Jinki so desperately wanted to run after Jonghyun after he stormed into the house that morning, he remained seated seeing Minho walking towards the car with an eager look on his face. 

It was a day that would get Minho closer to his goal of taking the wolf and finally being able to take charge of his own life — not feel like a prisoner in his own body. 

With that very thought it mind, Jinki finally decided to clear his mind of Jonghyun and anything else that would get in the way of him helping Minho reach his full potential. 

With a sigh that caught Minho’s attention, Jinki gave a small smile before asking, “Are you ready?” as he parked the car. 

Minho looked towards Jinki before looking out the window at their surroundings. They were parked in a clearing that was a couple of miles away from Minho’s trailer home. 

Before Minho could ask, Jinki said, “I needed to drive us out far enough off the main trail where we wouldn’t be found, but close enough to somewhere your wolf would recognize — that being your trailer home.”

Minho looked confused before asking, “My wolf knows where I live?”

Jinki chuckled, “Your wolf knows familiar scents. Although we’re pretty far out, your home is the close enough to keep your wolf at bay. It’ll be easier to become comfortable with your wolf if there is a familiar scent around.”

Minho nodded although he was still confused on what was happening. 

They both got out the car and headed towards the center of the clearing. Jinki instructed for Minho to sit down as he stood behind him, out of sight. 

“Ok, what should I do now,” said Minho as he crosses his legs to sit comfortably. 

“Close your eyes and breathe deep as I explain a few things. First, I need for you to try your best to enter your sub conscience. Focus on your breathing. Focus on the scents of the forest. Allow yourself to drift and not think about anything else, but your wolf and nature.”

“How will I know when it’s working?”

“When you finally reach that part of your mind that houses your wolf. Trust me, you’ll know. When you get there, you’ll need to seek him out. He may be scared when he meets you, but that’s ok. Approach him slowly and show that you’re not a threat. For this to work, you must show your dominance, Minho. He may be your wolf, but you still have control. Show him that you’re in charge. You much be brave.”

Minho’s heart rate slightly picked up as Jinki continued to explain. He was getting nervous because he had no idea what to expect. This was beginning to be more serious than he initially imagined. 

As if he could sense Minho’s worries, Jinki crouched down behind Minho as he gently whispered, “Everything will be fine, Minho.”

“And if it’s not?”

“If it’s not, then you can easily return back to your conscious mind. Just think of something that’ll get you there. Now, lay down flat on your back and just continue breathing. Think of nature and nothing else. I’ll be here when you wake up.”

Minho nodded as he felt Jinki help him lay flat on the ground. He continued breathing and focused and the ground beneath him and the smells of nature, slowly drifting away into his subconscious mind. 

—

Jonghyun was so bored from having to be inside all day. He wanted nothing more than to leave the house, but Jinki wanted him home for at least a week just in case anyone who recognized him questioned why he healed so fast. It wasn’t fair, thought Jonghyun. He’d already recovered fully, especially after Jinki forced him to drink two more blood bags once they got home. It made sense, but that didn’t mean Jonghyun liked it. 

To make matters worse, he was also annoyed because Jinki assigned Jongin and Taemin to ‘look after him’ as if he were some kid. He was centuries older than the two ghosts combined for peeps sake. However, Jinki didn’t want him running off, so he was forced to be babysat. The only interesting thing he could do was listen in on Jongin and Taemin arguing over what’s the best anime. But pretty soon, that got boring. 

Surprisingly, he and Taemin hadn’t had any problems. He’d been trying to avoid it really. But he also hadn’t apologized yet to the ghost. He didn’t know when a great time would be. But either way, he knew he had to make an effort to get along. It would make Jinki happy at least. 

He sat on his bed staring at the ceiling, drowning out the two ghosts arguing as he thought about what Jinki said. Was he really in danger of becoming attached to Kibum? If so, would that be so bad? If he constantly urged for one person’s blood as opposed to everyone’s, wouldn’t that keep everyone else out of danger? 

Maybe. However, it may also put Kibum in danger as well. With Jonghyun constantly yearning for his blood, it would only be a matter of time until an accident happened. Jonghyun wouldn’t be able to live with himself if he allowed Kibum to get hurt. 

He was thrown from his thoughts at the sound of the doorbell ringing. Taemin stopped arguing abruptly before gasping, “I haven’t heard anyone ring that in years. I wonder who’s at the door.”

Jonghyun wondered the same. He wasn’t expecting anyone, and Jinki had a key to the house. Maybe it was Taemin’s brother. Jonghyun made an attempt to get up, but stopped at Taemin shouting, “Wait! Let me see.”

Jonghyun scrunch his brows. “Taemin, you can’t open the door.”

“Well, not with that attitude.” Jonghyun gave a straight face and Taemin continued. “I’m not going to open the door. I want to practice manifesting. I’ll go down and look out the window to see who it is. Then I’ll poof back up here and tell you.”

Taemin was too excited for Jonghyun to tell him no. Before he knew it, Taemin disappeared leaving Jongin and Jonghyun in the room. 

Jongin mused, “I’ve learned there’s no point in telling him no. Just let him do as he wants, and we’ll all be happy.”

Jonghyun smiled slightly as he nodded, slowly learning more about the younger ghost. 

They heard the doorbell ring again, and a few moments later, Taemin reappeared in the room. “Jonghyun? There’s a really good-looking dude standing on your porch.”

At that, Jonghyun immediately shot up out of bed. “Who was he?”

Taemin shrugged. “I don’t know. It’s not like I could ask.”

Jonghyun wasted no time getting out of bed and making his way downstairs. He has no idea who it could be, but he also hoped it was someone in particular. Once downstairs, he looked out the living room window to see Kibum standing there with a box in his hand. 

Jonghyun collected himself, putting on his best sick act before slowly opening the door. “Kibum?”

“Surprise!”

Kibum’s hand was paused mid-air as it was about to knocked on the door again. Taking in Jonghyun’s appearance, Kibum’s radiant expression immediately turned into one of concern. “Oh, Jonghyun I’m so sorry for making you answer the door in this state. I thought your roommate would’ve been home at this time.”

Although Jonghyun was definitely surprised Kibum showed up without notice, he was also relieved that he could see him today. He gave a smile as to not worry him. “It’s ok, Kibum. I’m feeling better today. Come on in.” He backed up to allow Kibum in before closing the door. 

He walked behind him slowly to continue the sick act as he directed him to the living room couch. “We can sit here.”

They both sat as Kibum placed the box on the coffee table. “I’m sorry for coming on such short notice. It’s just that after I explained to my boss what happened, he told me I could go home to recover from such a traumatic event. I guess the asshole does have a heart. Anyway, after leaving, I didn’t want to go home. So I decided to surprise you instead. I hope that’s alright.”

Jonghyun could do nothing but smile as Kibum looked him in the eyes. It was more than alright for him to show up. Kibum was welcome any time in his eyes. “It’s fine, Kibum. I’m really happy you came.”

Kibum smiled genuinely at hearing that. A comfortable silence settled between them before Kibum cleared his throat and turned their attention to the box. “I went shopping and got some things for you. I was serious about the care package, you know?”

Jonghyun continued to smile as Kibum went on about the contents in the box. There were various things in there like tea, vitamins, and healthy snacks for when he got bored from eating soup, as Kibum put it. Jonghyun felt a little guilty because of the fact that those things wouldn’t do anything for him, but he couldn’t help his heart melting in appreciation at how much Kibum cared.

“Thank you, Kibum. This is really nice.”

Kibum blushed before shrugging, “It’s nothing.”

“Well, it means something to me,” he said as he continued to stare the man down. 

Kibum, feeling Jonghyun’s eyes on him, looked up and made eye contact. He wanted to disappear and never leave all at the same time. He’d never realized how mesmerizing and almost hypnotic Jonghyun’s eyes were up this close. He could stare at the man all day, and Jonghyun felt the same way. 

However, Jonghyun was drawn out from the moment when he heard a loud whistle coming from the stairs. He turned to see both Taemin and Jongin walking down as Taemin said, “Wow, he’s gorgeous. Who is this, Jonghyun?” Jonghyun gave him a very stern look to tell him to leave. 

Kibum furrowed his brows in confusion as he noticed Jonghyun stare off into space. “What are you looking at?”

Jonghyun quickly focused on him. “Oh, nothing. I thought I heard something.”

Jongin followed behind Taemin in embarrassment as they made their way to the adjacent couch. Taemin said in defense, “What? I’m not going to do anything. I’m just curious. I promise I won’t do anything ghosty.”

“Better not,” Jonghyun mumbled. 

Kibum asked, “What was that?”

“Oh, I was thinking out loud. I better not go outside today. I think it may rain.” Jonghyun mentally slapped himself. 

“It’s actually sunny,” said Kibum causing Taemin to snicker. “But you’re right. You shouldn’t be going anywhere. Stay inside and rest up. What time does Dr. Lee — I mean Jinki get back?”

Jonghyun shrugged. He wondered the same thing. He and Minho had been gone all day, so maybe they’d come later in the evening or night. “I’m not sure.”

“Mm,” said Kibum as he nodded in thought. “Well, I guess it’s a good thing I’m here then. I can take care of you until he gets back. I mean, that’s if you want me to.”

Jonghyun smiled again for what felt like the millionth time, “Only if you want to.”

“Of course I do. Here, lay back and I’ll make you some soup,” he said as he tried to push Jonghyun down on the couch without hurting him. 

“Awww,” said Taemin trying not the squeal. Jongin just looked at him shaking his head in amusement. 

“It’s ok, Kibum. I ate before you came. Ordered delivery.” There was no way he could have Kibum cooking for him and not even be able to enjoy the meal.

Kibum frowned, “You need to be eating real food. Healthy food, not delivery. Would you at least drink this tea for me?”

Jonghyun answered, “Sure.”

Jonghyun took a sip, but before he could swallow, Taemin appeared next to Kibum on the couch stating how pretty he was, causing Jonghyun spit out the tea in surprise. 

Kibum looked on in shock, “Is it that bad? I’m sorry. I knew I should’ve bought a different flavor.”

Jonghyun interjected, “It’s ok, it’s my fault. It went down the wrong pipe.”

At that moment, Kibum began to shiver. “Is the AC on? It’s cold all of a sudden.”

Jonghyun gave Taemin an annoyed look before looking towards Jongin for help. Jongin headed over to Taemin and pulled him from the couch. 

“It was probably the tea I spat out,” Jonghyun joked. That seemed to change Kibum’s focus. 

“Oh, right! Let me get some paper towels and clean it up.” 

Kibum headed to the kitchen, but unbeknownst to him, Taemin was in his path and he ended up walking straight through the young ghost. As soon as he did so, Kibum hunched over and immediately hurled all over the floor. 

Jonghyun’s eyes widened in horror as he witnessed the scene. Never had he ever wanted to strangle a ghost so bad. He quickly rushed over to Kibum, forgetting about to sick act. “Kibum, are you ok?”

Taemin looked mortified as he apologized profusely. “I’m sorry! I’m so sorry! I didn’t do anything. I didn’t know he would walk right through me! What can I do to help?!”

Jonghyun ignored him as he focused all of his attention on Kibum. “Kibum, it’s ok.” He noticed the younger man began to tear up. “Shh, it’s ok.”

Kibum answered, “I’m so embarrassed. I don’t even know what came over me. I’m not even sick.”

“It’s nothing to be embarrassed about. I’ll clean it up-”

“No, you go sit down and rest. I got it. I’m so sorry for the mess. I’ll be sure to tell Jinki it was my fault,” he said as he calmed down. He hated that he was so sensitive lately, but he couldn’t help but cry from embarrassment. What would Jonghyun think of him now?

Jongin told Taemin, “Let’s give them some privacy. We’ll be upstairs, Jonghyun.”

Taemin whined as Jongin manifested both of them into the upstairs bedroom. 

After they were gone, Jonghyun asked, “Are you feeling better?”

Kibum nodded. “Yeah, I’m fine. I’ll just clean this up. But please go sit down and rest.”

Jonghyun nodded. “Ok. There are cleaning supplies under the kitchen sink. Also, upstairs we have some extra toothbrushes and mouthwash.”

“Ok, thank you.” Kibum said before taking off upstairs first. 

Once alone, Jonghyun cursed Taemin a million times in his head. 

—

Minho opened his eyes to an unfamiliar setting. He was no longer sitting in the middle of the clearing, and Jinki was nowhere to be found. He was now laying on the ground of a snow-covered forest surrounded by tall leafless trees. The air was so still and quiet, just breathing felt like it was too loud. He stood up slowly from the ground in a confused dazed. 

“Jinki,” he called, but didn’t receive an answer. Was this what Jinki meant by slipping into the subconscious mind?

Minho looked around wondering if this was where his wolf laid dormant. Maybe it was. His only problem now was where to start looking for his wolf. He didn’t even know what his wolf looked like, so how was he supposed to know he found it? 

Regardless, Minho knew he had to try. Jinki went through all of this effort for him. So he didn’t want to let him down. 

Minho slowly began to walk through the thick snow hoping he’d find his answers soon. He has no idea what direction he was headed, but he decided to keep walking. After about ten minutes of nothing, he began to get frustrated. 

He whistled before saying, “Here, boy. Come out wherever you are. I won’t hurt you.” Minho was beginning to feel like he was losing his mind. 

After another ten minutes of nothing, Minho lost his patience and shouted, “Where are you?! I don’t have all day!”

At that, Minho turned sharply to the right when he heard what sounded like a growl. His heart began to race as he regretted shouting earlier. His looked closely in the direction of the growl and noticed something peeking out of a bush. He looked closely and was in awe with what he saw. 

There stood what looked to be a huge black wolf, as dark as night, peaking its head out with an intense stare towards Minho. The animal was beautiful and looked slightly bigger than a household dog. 

Minho gulped both in anticipation and fear. He couldn’t explain how, but he could just feel that this was his wolf. It was as if there were some kind of bond drawing him closer to it. 

Minho slowly approached the wolf as he spoke gently, “Hey, buddy. It’s me. I’m not here to harm you, see?” Minho put up his hands in surrender as he continued to approach. 

He halted his steps once he heard the wolf let out another growl as he took a defensive stance. 

“Hey,” Minho said in disbelief. “It’s ok. I know we may have gotten off on the wrong foot, but I’m here to get to know you.”

Minho took another step forward, but this caused the wolf to growl again, baring his sharp teeth this time. Minho had no idea what to do. He tried remembering what Jinki had said about asserting dominance, but in the moment, Minho wanted to do nothing more than disappear. 

Minho made one more move towards the wolf as he held his hand out as an offering. However, while doing so, he mistakenly stepped on a twig that loudly snapped, causing the wolf to become startled. The wolf snarled and charged Minho at an alarming speed. 

All logic went out the window and Minho took off running for his life as his wolf continued to chase after him while barking and growling. Minho feared for his life and wanted nothing more than to wake up from this nightmare. He looked behind him to check how far away from the wolf he was. However, he stripped on a rock causing him to roll and tumble to a stop. 

By time he recollected himself and sat up, the wolf was coming at him full speed with sharp teeth on full display. Fearing the worse, Minho scrunched his eyes closed as he awaited his doom, but it never came. As soon as his eyes opened, he found himself back in the clearing with Jinki. 

Minho quickly sat up gasping for air as he tried to catch his breath. Jinki wasted no time rushing to his side in concern. “Breathe, Minho. Breathe even and slowly. Follow me, ok?” Jinki let out slow even breaths, and Minho obediently followed. 

Pretty soon, Minho’s breathing slowed down to a steady breath as he calmed down. Jinki touched Minho’s forehead with the back of his hand, noting that he broke out into cold sweats. 

“Minho, what happened?”

Minho looked towards Jinki with an incredulous look. “He’s pissed.”

Jinki let out a sigh as the situation began making sense to him. “He’s scared.”

“My ass. I can guarantee you I was more scared of him than he was of me. You should’ve seen it, Jinki. He growled at me and chased me down like he was ready to kill me. What the hell did I do?”

“Well, from my knowledge, it seems he may be upset that he’s been dormant in your mind for so long due to you being so adamant about wanting nothing to do with him. I think your wolf doesn’t feel as connected to you as he should. For such a strong reaction like that, it’s going to take some time to get him to trust you.”

Minho scoffed in disbelief. “How is he supposed to trust me if he wants me dead?”

Jinki chuckled lightly. “Trust me, he doesn’t want to kill you. He just needs reassurance from you. From the few werewolves I’ve known, they have been able to control their wolf because they developed a good relationship with it. Your wolf knows everything about you, including your feelings towards it. It all starts with you, Minho.”

“But how?”

Jinki places a gentle hand on Minho’s shoulder. He couldn’t help but feel bad for the guy, especially with the helpless look on his face. “We’ll figure it out, ok? I’m sorry I don’t have all of the answers. It’s quite hard for me since I’m not a wolf myself. But I promise you we will figure this out.”

Instead of a response, Minho surprised Jinki by pulling him into a deep hug. Jinki slowly hugged him back. “Thank you,” Minho whispered. He was thankful that Jinki was trying so hard for him. And admittedly, he needed a hug. He was scared out of his mind from his wolf, and he wanted at the moment was comfort. 

Jinki rubbed his back comfortingly. “No problem. By the way, I’m curious. How were you able to come back?”

“What do you mean?”

“Remember when I said for you to return back to your conscience, you need to think of something that’ll get you there? What did you think about?”

Minho went quiet and pulled back from the hug to look at Jinki and answered honestly, “You.”

Jinki raised his brows. He certainly wasn’t expecting that answer, but it caused him to smile before saying, “Let’s go home, Minho.”

It wouldn’t be easy, and their journey was just beginning, but Minho and Jinki wouldn’t give up.


	10. Temptation.

“Can you check to see if he’s gone yet,” Taemin asked Jongin for the third time that evening. 

Ever since Taemin had been basically kicked out of the living room, Jongin refused to let Taemin leave their shared room in fear of him having another run-in with Kibum. 

Jongin sighed, “Taemin, you asked me that 10 minutes ago. I’m pretty sure he’s still down there.”

Taemin whined. “I’m bored. Why am I being punished for something that was an accident.”

“You’re not being punished.”

Taemin scoffed. “It sure does feel like it. I mean how was I supposed to know the guy would walk right through me?”

Jongin didn’t know what to say. In situations like this, it was best to let Taemin ramble. Jongin was still getting to know him and didn’t know if he’d say anything that would set the young ghost off. So he just listened to Taemin’s ramblings in amusement. 

“Well,” said Jongin, cutting Taemin off, “Since you want to get out this bedroom so badly, let’s practice going outside again.”

Taemin scrunched his face. “No, I’m not in the mood to fail again.”

“Who says you’re going to fail?”

Taemin scoffed. “Oh please. I couldn’t even make it past the front door last time. Who says I can miraculously do it this time? Besides, Jonghyun still has his friend over. What if I get sad and the house starts acting weird again?”

Jongin understood Taemin’s concerns. However, Jinki trusted him to help the younger ghost get accustomed to actually being a ghost. If Taemin didn’t believe in himself, Jongin would do it for him. 

Jongin shrugged, “Guess I’ll have to make sure that doesn’t happen then.”

Taemin pauses before asking, “Why are you so adamant?”

“Well, you haven’t tried going outside again after you regained your memories.”

“What does that have to do with anything?”

“Remember. The only reason we were trying to get your memories back is because we believe it may be tied to why you’re stuck in this house. We have to at least try again after you’ve successfully gained a few memories. It’s a way for us to see if we’re right about this.”

Taemin sighed. “I’m not ready to fail again.”

“There’s no way to know you’ve improved if you don’t try. If it doesn’t work, you can feel free to yell at me.”

Taemin sighed to himself. More than anything, Taemin wanted to yell and push Jongin away until he got what he wanted. That’s how it worked when he was alive. However, he could never yell at Jongin. He’s too nice and considerate. 

Taemin groaned, “Ok. But if it goes horribly wrong, I won’t shut up about it.”

Jongin chuckled. “Fair enough.”

He walked up to Taemin and grabbed his hand. Taemin didn’t think he’d ever get used to the feeling of someone else touching him. 

Jongin continued. “Close your eyes. Now remember what I’ve always told you. Think of where you want to be. It’s nothing to be nervous of. It’s just like you manifesting in the house, but instead, you’re going outside. Think of everything that reminds you of anything beyond that door and take us there. You got this, Taemin.”

With closed eyes, Taemin thought of the warm summers spent on his front porch when he and his brother would talk about anything and everything. He thought about the day his dad drove up to the house in a new car for his brother, and how excited everyone was. He thought about the birthday parties that used to take place in the front yard. Those were good times. 

A tear escape from his closed eyes as memories of his previous life continued to play before him. Why did he have to die, he’d ask himself from time to time. He missed his family and friends so much. 

He was thrown from his thoughts when he heard Jongin whisper, “Taemin, you did it. Open your eyes.”

Slowly, Taemin opened his eyes and was instantly blinded by the setting sun. He examined his surroundings to see that he was actually outside. He and Jongin stood on the front porch and faced the street where cars passed by ever so often.

Taemin gasped at the sight. “Oh my god.” He really did it. 

He looked over at Jongin who wore a proud smile. He whispered, “I told you you could do it. Now go on,” Jongin said as he gave Taemin a slight push forward. 

Taemin’s brows rose as he understood what Jongin meant. He wanted to see how far Taemin could go. Taemin looked towards the ground at the steps in front of him. There were three steps that descended into the front yard. Three steps that gave him hope. 

He looked back one last time at Jongin, like a baby learning how to walk for the first time, before looking forward and lifting his foot towards the first step. In complete surprise, Taemin’s foot landed down on the first step without any issues. 

He gasped and quickly turned to Jongin. “Jongin! Are you seeing this?!”

Jongin nodded. “Keep going.”

Taemin complied willingly. He took another step, and then another. And before he knew it, his feet were touching the walkway in the yard that connected the steps to the driveway. 

In newfound confidence, Taemin went on to walk forward. However, as soon as he put his foot down to continue his stride, he was stopped by what felt like an invisible wall. It felt as if some force field were there holding him back. 

He was not able to go beyond the steps, it seemed. 

At the revelation, Jongin frowned, expecting the worst. Maybe a few tears from Taemin, knowing how sensitive he could be. What he didn’t expect was to see Taemin turn to him with the widest smile on his face. 

The young spirit jumped up and down as he shouted, “Holy shit! I’m actually outside! I’m outside, Jongin! It’s been so long! Thank you so much!”

At the end of his rambling, Taemin quickly walked up to Jongin before pulling him into a tight embrace, wrapping his arms around Jongin’s shoulders. Jongin, in surprise, caught Taemin, instantly wrapping his arms around his waist. 

It was the closest the two had been, and the closest Jongin had ever been with a guy. He wasn’t sure how to feel about it, but he didn’t want to ruin Taemin’s excitement. A small smile graced his lips as well. 

Little did they know, Jonghyun was in the living room trying to think of a lie as to how the lightbulb in the lamp broke out of nowhere. He knew it could be no one other than Taemin, especially after he’d heard him shouting outside before it happened. Kibum had been very frightened when in the middle of their conversation, the lightbulb exploded in the lamp next to the couch.

Jonghyun explained, “It may be something wrong with the wiring. Hold on. I’m going to go check the fuse box outside.”

Kibum stopped him, “Wait. Are you sure you’re ok to move? I can check it for you.”

He reassured, “It's ok. I can move short distances. I’ll be really quick. Wait here, ok?”

Kibum nodded and at that, Jonghyun made his way towards the front door. 

Jongin and Taemin’s moment was cut short at the sound of the front door opening. The two parted in time to see a panicked Jonghyun come out. 

Jonghyun whispered-shouted, “What the hell are you two doing?!”

Taemin lit up and smiled more than Jongin thought was possible as he said, “Look! I’m outside! I can actually leave the house!” Upon realizing Jonghyun was pissed, Taemin’s smile dimmed as he cringed saying, “Did I break another light bulb?”

Jonghyun just sighed and shook his head in disbelief. He didn’t know what to say, and definitely didn’t understand why Taemin being outside was such a big deal. 

He hadn’t been around Taemin long enough to know about the ghost’s struggles with getting out of the house. However, the smile on Taemin’s face showed Jonghyun how important the situation was. 

So as much as he wanted to shout at the young ghost, Jonghyun remembered he also promised Jinki he’d be nice. “Congrats,” he said, which came to a shock to both Taemin and Jongin. 

Jonghyun continued, “But can you two keep down the ghost activity please? At least until the human is gone?”

Jonghyun didn’t wait for a response as he quickly closed the door to retreat back to Kibum in the living room. 

Taemin turned to Jongin in bewilderment. “It’s so weird seeing him act so calm. I’m used to us hating each other.”

Jongin chuckled. “That’s good. Maybe he’s changed. Just like you. But this is only the beginning for you. You need to regain more of your memories.”

And like that, Taemin’s mood was blown. “You know what? I think I’m fine with only being able to see the front yard.”

Jongin shook his head. “Do you want to be stuck here forever?”

Taemin pouted. “No.”

“Exactly. Based on what just happened, it seems like Jinki was right. The more you remember, the more you’ll be able to leave this place.”

“But what if I don’t want to remember? What if I forgot for a reason? Maybe the truth is worse than living in a lie.”

Jongin shook his head in protest, one of the few times Taemin witnessed Jongin be so assertive with him. “Regardless. You’re still going to need to know the truth if you don’t want to be attached to this house forever. Trust me. You don’t want to be stuck on this earth like me.”

Taemin didn’t know what to say after that. He knew he was being bratty, but he’d be lying if he said the truth didn’t terrify him. However, he felt as if he wasn’t being fair to Jongin. Jongin’s been on earth for a while according to what he’d told him. It’s obvious that he had so much knowledge about living as a ghost. It would be best for Taemin to listen instead of complaining everyday. 

Taemin knew that. Yet, he couldn’t help but worry. 

“What if it’s something I can’t come back from? What if the truth destroys me?” Taemin asked with his emotions on full display. 

Jongin waited a second before answering with determination. “I won’t let that happen.”  
—

“You’re awfully quiet,” said Jinki. 

Minho and Jinki were on the way back home after such an eventful evening. Jinki could tell the younger wolf was bothered by something. 

“I’m thinking.”

“About?”

Minho sighed before letting his inner thoughts out. “He’s scared of me. You said so yourself.”

Jinki hummed in affirmation. “So this is about your wolf.”

Minho nodded. “I just don’t get it. I mean I sort of get what you mean. I’ve been negative towards him for so long that he doesn’t feel connected to me. I get that. But shouldn’t he also sense that I’m not dangerous? Doesn’t he also feel that I want to connect with him?”

“Honestly, I think you’re expecting too much of your wolf. Remember. You’re the human with logical reasoning. He’s still an animal. Animals act on fear, and since he’s so afraid of you, his instinct is to be on the defense. At least that’s what I theorize.”

Minho scoffed. “How the hell am I supposed to get him to like me then?”

Jinki sympathized with Minho’s concerns. It was a tough situation to be in, especially as a werewolf with no bond to his wolf. “As cliche as it probably sounds, it all starts from within. You need to get rid of this self hatred you have for your wolf and yourself. And you need to be genuine about it. Because your wolf is part of you, he knows your true feelings. If you try to act like you want to bond with him, but he still senses hatred, it won’t work. 

Minho groaned. “I’m hopeless.” 

Jinki furrowed his brows. He didn’t like Minho feeling that way. “No, you’re not. It’ll probably take some digging, but I’m going to try to contact some old wolf friends of mine. I haven’t spoken to them ever since Jonghyun and I were on the run, but now that we’re settled, I think it’ll be safe to reach out.”

Jinki glanced over at Minho to see a worried look on his face before looking back at the road. “It’s going to be ok, Minho. Just trust me.”

“I do,” Minho said without missing a beat, causing Jinki to glance at Minho again, quickly seeing Minho’s smile return to his face. “I know I’ve probably said this a million times, but I’ll say it again. Thank you, Jinki. Truly. I know that I’ve been complaining a lot, but I really appreciate everything you’re doing for me.”

Jinki nodded, “It’s my pleasure.”

They continued the ride in comfortable silence. Unbeknownst to Jinki, Minho ever so often snuck a glance at the older man, admiring how someone like Jinki, a vampire, could be so gentle towards a werewolf like himself. 

He also wondered if Jinki ever did anything besides worry about other people. Taemin, Jonghyun, Jongin, the patients at the hospital, Minho himself — all people that Jinki dedicates his time to selflessly. He was like a hero, Minho mused — always helping others. Jinki was really an amazing person, Minho was slowly getting to see. And maybe the circumstances of both of their lives sucked, but at least it led him to meeting such an amazing person, Minho thought.

He smirked to himself as he thought even heroes deserve a break. He asked, “What do you do for fun, Jinki?”

Jinki scrunched his brows in thought. “Fun? I’m not sure. I haven’t really had the chance to have fun the past couple of years, especially with being on the run.”

That’s sad, thought Minho. 

“Ok then. Well, what did you used to do for fun when you had the time?”

Jinki took awhile to think. What did he used to do for fun? The only fun he could think of was centuries ago before he joined The Order. He used to paint and compose music as a hobby. Being that he was a vampire without a clan at the time, and it was a time where things weren’t as high-tech, he’d spent a lot of time alone. He enjoyed the peace and quiet though. He guessed that’s the last time he truly had fun on a regular basis. However, Jinki knew Minho wanted to hear about the present.

“Well, from time to time, I read. Discovering new knowledge is so interesting to me.”

Minho almost facepalmed. “Reading? Not that there’s anything wrong with that, but where’s the excitement?”

Jinki snickered. He agreed that he did sound pretty lame. “Well, what’s around here to do for fun?”

“Oh, there’s tons to do. Let’s go out some time. You deserve a break, Jinki?”

Jinki tilted his head in bemusement. “Go out?”

Minho quickly became a babbling mess at Jinki’s question. “Uh, as friends I mean! Yeah, nothing weird or anything.”

Jinki laughed, “Of course, as friends. What else would we go as,” he asked genuinely. Minho wanted to curl into a ball from embarrassment, but he was saved by Jinki continuing to talk. “I was just contemplating it. I haven’t been out for fun in a long time.”

“Even more of a reason to go!”

Jinki sighed but gave a smile. “I make no promises, but I am interested.”

Minho beamed. “I’ll take that.”

The rest of the ride home was spent with Jinki focusing on the road, and Minho on his phone looking up fun things to do in town.   
—

“Sorry about that,” said Jonghyun as he made his way back to Kibum. 

After Kibum’s initial embarrassment at the beginning of the visit, both he and Jonghyun really enjoyed their evening together. Kibum was worried things would get awkward since he wasn’t used to being alone with Jonghyun in such an intimate setting, aside from the one time Jonghyun took him out to the movies and for ice cream.

But thankfully, the conversation flowed so easily between them. Kibum had come to learn that Jonghyun was very funny. He’d assumed so based on their interactions at the bar, but seeing Jonghyun be himself in his own home was a comforting sight to see. 

Although he was enjoying his time, Kibum still couldn’t help but think about the danger that Jonghyun was just in. He’d almost lost his life. Who were those men? Why were they after Jonghyun? Why didn’t Jonghyun want the authorities involved?

He had so many questions. However, he didn’t want to ask and make Jonghyun feel uncomfortable. He’d save the questions for another day. His time at the moment was too precious. 

Jonghyun was also enjoying his time spent with Kibum. His visit was definitely a surprise, one that he hadn’t seen coming. At least not so soon, but he didn’t mind. Although, he could practically hear Jinki’s voice in the back of his head reminding him of how dangerous this was. Jonghyun happily ignored it, though. Jinki was the last thing on his mind when he had someone as captivating as Kibum sitting next to him. 

Jonghyun was pulled from his thoughts when he heard Kibum let out a groan. “Shit, it’s getting late. I gotta head home soon.”

“Aww, man. So soon?”

Kibum snickered. “Jonghyun, I’ve been here for like 5 hours.” 

It’s been that long? He hadn’t even noticed. “Time flies when you’re having fun. Isn’t that the line?”

Kibum nodded. “Yeah. I guess so. I had a lot of fun today, too. Sorry again for the mess I made. I was worried you’d never invite me over again.”

Jonghyun shrugged. “It’s no big deal. And you’re always welcome to come over anything.”

Kibum paused, shocked at Jonghyun’s statement. “Really?”

Jonghyun smiled. “Of course. Why not?”

“O-Oh, it’s nothing. It’s just... I’m just glad you want to see me again. Uh, I mean that you’d like for me to come over again.” 

A flustered Kibum was a cute Kibum, Jonghyun was now convinced. 

He chuckled before stating, “No need to be so nervous. Of course I’d want to see you.”

Kibum was saved from further embarrassing himself when his phone rang. He almost rejoiced, but when he saw the call was from his dad, he nearly died inside. 

“Something wrong?” Jonghyun asked. 

Kibum sighed. “It’s my dad. I really gotta go now. I’m so not ready to get back and get yelled at again.”

“Again?”

“Yeah. It’s nothing new at this point. May as well go and get it over with. I can’t wait to move out so I won’t have to constantly get reminded of how much of a disappointment I am.”

That caused Jonghyun to frown. Kibum and disappointment didn’t belong in the same sentence. “You’re not a disappointment, Kibum.”

He scoffed, mood obviously ruined by the topic of the conversation. “How would you know? Based on what my family says, I’m not smart enough, not wealthy enough, I’m only getting older, I should be looking to marry. However, I’m in my mid-20s still living with my family. How pathetic.”

“That’s not pathetic. You mentioned you planned on moving out right? You just have to save up a little more?”

Kibum sighed, hating the turn of their conversation. “Who knows how long that’ll last.”

A few moments of silence passed by before Jonghyun turned to fully face Kibum. He grabbed the human’s hands gently as he spoke out of sincerity. 

“Kibum, you saved my life. If it weren’t for you, I probably would’ve bled out in that alleyway. In my eyes, you’re anything but a disappointment. You could have called the cops and let them deal with me, but you so graciously decided to not leave my side and to drive me to the hospital yourself. I will always be grateful for that. So please, don’t believe any of the bullshit that your family tells you. They don’t know you. And the person I’m getting to know is anything but what they’ve led you to believe you are. You’re worth so much more than that.”

Jonghyun ended with a smile, one that was so delicate that Kibum couldn’t believe it was directed towards him. Kibum’s eyes slowly teared up as Jonghyun completed his thoughts. It’d been so long since someone sincerely complimented Kibum in such a way, it was almost hard to believe it. Almost. 

He sniffed and tilted his head back to stop himself from crying. “Thank you so much for your kind words, Jonghyun.”

“I meant every word of it.”

Kibum gave a small smile before pulling Jonghyun into a warm hug, careful not to hurt the vampire’s injuries that he thought were there. 

Jonghyun was in both heaven and hell as he melted into Kibum’s embrace. Heaven because the scent of the human’s blood was so sweet and spicy, it almost felt like Jonghyun was in aromatherapy. Kibum’s scent was always pleasant, but at that very moment, Jonghyun felt so relaxed. 

He was also in hell because of that very same reason. Being so close to Kibum’s luring scent made the situation very dangerous. If Jonghyun hadn’t already fed, he didn’t know if he could trust himself not to latch onto Kibum’s neck. However, he couldn’t hurt Kibum. He refused to. He’d already hurt an innocent human. He didn’t need another on the list. 

But it’s hard to stop temptation. 

Kibum pulled away slightly from the embrace to look up into Jonghyun’s eyes. He’d never realized how beautiful Jonghyun really was. Of course he found the man attractive, but being so close to his flawless face was really breathtaking. 

Jonghyun was also in a similar predicament. Kibum was so striking. Before he could stop himself, Jonghyun was slowly leaning in towards Kibum’s lips. The human showed no hesitation as he leaned in as well, following Jonghyun’s lead. Jonghyun picked up on Kibum’s quickened heart rate as he neared him. 

Just as their lips were about to meet, Jonghyun heard Taemin exclaim, “Jinki’s home!”

Jonghyun quickly pulled away to glare at the ghost who was standing a few feet from the couch. 

Taemin continued, “I’m sorry! I didn’t want to interrupt, but I also didn’t want you to get in trouble with Jinki if he caught you kissing a human. Bye!” 

And with that, Taemin vanished upstairs to run to the safety of Jongin. He really didn’t mean to barge in on the two. The scene was also pretty romantic if you asked him. However, when Taemin heard a car door close outside, he went downstairs to see if it were Jinki. Instead, he saw Jonghyun and Kibum about to kiss. And he knew that if Jinki had seen the two that way, it may have led to another fight between Jinki and Jonghyun. 

Had this situation happened a few days ago, maybe Taemin would’ve let Jonghyun get caught on purpose just to hear Jinki rip him a new one. However, for some odd reason, Jonghyun had been making obvious moves to be nicer to him, and Taemin appreciated that. So, Taemin decided to return the favor. 

Sadly, it was a favor that came at the expense of Jonghyun’s pleasure. 

Kibum, oblivious to the situation, felt immediate regret and embarrassment wash over him. Why did Jonghyun pull away? Didn’t he want to kiss him too? 

What was I thinking, Kibum asked himself. Of course he doesn’t. He was just being nice. How could I think he was interested in me? 

“Ah, my roommates are home. I heard a car door close.”

Oh, thought Kibum. So it wasn’t because of me? He pulled away because he heard a noise. Yeah, that must be it. 

“Too bad,” Jonghyun continued. “I was having so much fun,” he ended as he smiled at Kibum. 

Kibum could only return the smile himself. “I had fun too. But I guess that’s my cue to finally leave now before my family freaks out.”

“Yeah, you’re right. Oh, I guess you can get to meet my other roommate as well. He was out with Jinki today.” Roommate. The title for Minho was still uncomfortable for Jonghyun to come to terms with. 

Kibum nodded as he stood up from the couch, Jonghyun doing the same. “I hope they won’t mind that I came unannounced.”

Jonghyun waved the comment off. “I live here, meaning I pay rent here too. I don't need to ask permission to have guests,” Jonghyun ended with a soft smile as he and Kibum headed towards the front door. 

Before he could open the door, Kibum turned to face Jonghyun. “I hope you get better soon. Make sure you eat the soup I cooked. It’s really healthy and is supposed to help with a speedy recovery.”

Jonghyun nodded. “I’ll eat it just for you. Thanks for stopping by, Kibum. Don’t be afraid to drop by again.”

And Jonghyun meant it. Despite a few hiccups with Taemin, Kibum had been the highlight of Jonghyun’s day. Being (mostly) alone with him was so comforting, and Jonghyun really didn’t want the human to leave. However, it was getting late in the night, and Jonghyun knew that Kibum was on a time crunch. 

“Don’t regret your words when I show up randomly again.”

They both chuckled before Jonghyun said, “Ok, maybe let me know ahead of time that you’re coming. But you’re always welcomed here. Remember that, ok?”

Kibum nodded. He stood there for a few seconds awkwardly as he internally debated if he should hug Jonghyun again. Why was he overthinking such a simple thing, he thought to himself. It’s not like they hadn’t hugged already.

However, Jonghyun seemed to make the decision for him as he slowly pulled Kibum into a gentle hug, not missing the mesmerizing scent radiating off of the human. 

“Stay safe, Kibum,” Jonghyun whispered into Kibum’s ear. 

Kibum closed his eyes and sighed in contentment. “You too, Jonghyun.”

They hugged for a while before Jonghyun pulled them apart, but only slightly — both instantly aware of how intimately close their faces were. 

Jonghyun glanced down at Kibum’s lips before quickly looking back into his eyes. “Kibum?”

“Yeah?”

Should I do it? — Jonghyun asked himself. The it being the decision to kiss Kibum. It was an idea that Jonghyun knew Jinki would oppose. However, with the combination of Kibum’s scent, his lips looked so inviting. 

Jonghyun could remember wanting to kiss the man a while ago around the time they’d first met, but he knew better than to act on it. Mainly because he knew Jinki would kill him. But what’s the difference between then and now? Jonghyun didn’t know. Maybe it’s the fact that Kibum actually saved his life and showed that he cared. The human even took it upon himself to nurse Jonghyun back to health, although Jonghyun felt plenty fine. 

No one had ever shown so much care for him besides Jinki. Not even his own parents. And Jonghyun would forever be grateful that Kibum was there to save him. Maybe that’s why he noticed a shift in his feelings toward the human. He’d always found Kibum attractive, but Jonghyun knew his limits, and he was good at pushing away his urges. But now? He didn’t know. Kibum was just so tempting. 

But would a kiss be the wrong move? Was Kibum even into him? He wasn’t completely sure. However, he’s charming enough to woo Kibum right? And unless he’d read the situation wrong, it seemed that they’d almost kissed a few moments ago in the living room, so Kibum definitely wanted this too, right?

Talking himself into it, Jonghyun slowly leaned in towards Kibum, hearing Kibum’s heart rate increase like it had earlier. He whispered with a slight brush on Kibum’s lips, “Is this ok?”

Kibum wore a shocked expression. “Are you sure?” He couldn’t believe what Jonghyun was asking for. He needed confirmation from Jonghyun that he was serious

“Only if you are.”

At that Kibum nodded and Jonghyun finally claimed the lips that had been teasing him for so long. It was only a peck, but it was the softest, and seemingly the longest, kiss Jonghyun had ever experienced. 

Kibum on the other hand was internally freaking out from excitement and worry. He and Jonghyun were actually kissing. What would this mean for their friendship? Would it even mean anything? Was he overthinking it? 

He was, he’d decided. Instead of letting his thoughts psych him out, he decided to finally give in, melting fully into Jonghyun’s embrace. 

They were both so engrossed with each other that they hadn’t heard the front door open. They pulled away only once they felt the breeze from the door swinging open. They were met with a confused Jinki whose previous smile turned into a stern look towards Jonghyun. What was Kibum doing here? Alone? And were they ....kissing? 

“Jinki,” Jonghyun said nervously as he created some space between Kibum and himself. 

“Jonghyun,” Jinki replied in acknowledgement. 

Kibum noticed the tension in the air and immediately felt bad. He said, “Hey, Jinki. I’m sorry for showing up uninvited. I just wanted to make sure Jonghyun was ok.”

Jinki softened up a bit before giving the gentle smile he usually wore. “It’s no problem. It’s nice seeing you again, Kibum. Thank you for taking care of Jonghyun.”

But it was a problem, and Jonghyun knew it. 

Kibum nodded. “Well, it’s my time to leave. Get well soon, Jonghyun. And it was nice seeing you again, Jinki-“ 

Kibum’s sentence died as he laid eyes on the man walking up behind Jinki — tall, tan, and muscular as Kibum remembered. 

“Minho?”

Minho, who was walking up the steps towards the front door, lifted his head at the voice. His eyes nearly bulged out of his head once he saw who it was. “Kibum?”


End file.
